natural girls
Comments
-
Lucky, what do they say in that book about A+ (yes my blood type is A+, what else would you expect from me! LOL!!!)
Mandy, I am going to whole foods this wkend and will scope out beans and tomatoes in glass a jars !!! What a great idea.
SIM, when you find out what is the best / safest CoQ10, pls let us know. I am just taking the BJ's brand right now (it's expensive, and my DH is, shall we say, "frugal" (!!)) and I'm sure it's not the best...
I tried Lisa's Quinoa Salad recipe last night, thunbs up from husband and 16 year old daughter!!! I am so excited to have discovered Quinoa! Thank you ladies!
Spring.
PS Welcome Natural "Guy"!!!
0 -
Althea, thank you about the Britta pitcher! phew!
TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!! Wooooo!!! Made it another year!!! Woot!
0 -
Spring: Thanks for the tip about agave in muffins; I'll try that soon. Happy, Happy Birthday!!!0
-
Happy Birthday Spring and glad you loved the Quinoa recipe. It is one of our favorite grains...so much you can do with it!
Thanks for the information on the agave! I'm going to have to get that book!
Welcome newbies!
Ladies keep the great information coming!
Make it a great day....
0 -
Althea-thanks for the info on the plastic. I was beginning to worry because we filter our well water into those 5 gal jugs and then put them on the water cooler. I guess this is actually safer than buying water in the big jugs, because it does not stay in them out in the elements. One of the things that I am sure that led to the toxic overload that caused my bc was that I would constantly carry those water bottles around all summer. I would even freeze half of the bottle so it was cold. I cannot believe the toxins in our environment. And I take anything the Federal Doping Agency has to say with a grain of salt. (I wanted to cnange the F to a choice word but decided it is too early this morning for such language).
Indebt2-have you been reading all about us energetic and natural girls led by our energizer bunny Lisa? Have you noticed that there are a lot of very nice bunnies around here and you like to be around bunnies? Since you are from CA, I am a bit suspicious. Are you sure you are not really Hef, the bunny lover? Well, I guess we will have to keep our eye on you. You know what happens when a guy gets involved with bunnies? At least is is nice to know that Hef is okay with bunnies who are flat!
Lucky- that was interesting about the blood type. I actually had my blood tested by my nutritionist Dr. The test shows which kind of foods are toxic to your blood. It was very interesting. My test showed I should stay away from brewers and bakers yeast, pepper, and quinoa, among other things. So I use these things sparingly, because I realized that I did have problems when I consumed most of the things on the list. Surprisingly, I had avoided them naturally without realizing it. By the way, I am 0+ too. Kind of goes hand in hand with your list. Maybe I should have just read the book instead of doing the expensive blood test!
0 -
Oh, I forgot, Happy Birthday Spring! I hope you have a beautiful Spring day to celebrate!
0 -
Happy Friday everyone! And very Happy Birthday Spring!
On the bottle front--I have switched to a SIGG bottle which I LOVE. Is metal but doesn't taste like metal--no leaching, very light, easily cleaned and reused, good for hot or cold. I haven't heard anything bad about the material but let me know if you know something.
0 -
Spring ~ Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Springtime,
Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!
How old are you? How old are you? OOPS! Better stop there ;D
:=)Have a wonderful day!
(((HUG)))
Val Ô¿Ô
0 -
Thank you for the good wishes!
Allie, I went to SIGG.com and got 2 of those bottles! FYI: Code HARPO got me 20% off!!! (I did a google search on SIGG discount code!) I love it!
Valerie Jean! Thank you for the Song!!! LOL!! I am 51 years young, baby. And 51 is going to be a way better year than 50, I can tell!
Spring..
0 -
Happy Birthday Spring! May this year be the best one yet!
Mandy
0 -
Hi Everyone...
I have been trying to get my onc to consider alternative treatments and keep getting "shot down".
One that really upset me was the use of melatonin....I have been having trouble sleeping and the pharmasist recc it for insomnia. I then read about it for it's anticancer benefits...also for its effectiveness when used with tamoxifen as an estrogen blocker.
Help....the recc dosage is up to 20 mg/day taken at night. My onc says not to take it....there is some chance of liver enzymnes rising or something.
Anyone have any input on this? Thanks!
0 -
Springtime-The greatest thing about birthdays after cancer, is that you feel like they are all a celebration. Before it was always something I wanted to ignore-the whole age thing. Now the numbers do not matter, only that life is always worth celebrating, at every age!
Judy-I took melatonin all through treatments and I still do. I would ask you doc to cite any evidence he has and then research it. It did not seem to affect me, but I only had rads, no chemo. The first thing I did after treatments was a liver detox. I wanted to get all the gunk out. I figured that melatonin had to be better than the Xanax that my doctor prescribed. I read that it actually could be carcinogenic. Plus, it made me really groggy. I only took it a couple of times before surgery and decided to go a different route. Good luck to you!
0 -
Interesting article on Vit B12-the energy vitamin. Seems that the lack of B12 may be a factor in vegetarians who get cancer:
http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-b12-spray/?source=nl
Of course, we know that Lisa probably is not short on B12!
0 -
Vivre...now you know my secret! I'm the B12 Bunny!
0 -
Has anyone discovered coconut milk in jars. All the tins I have tried are lined with plastic and I love adding coconut milk to vegetable curries.
Regarding previous mention of beans I found that the ones in jars are surprisingly costly. I now buy dried organic beans and soak them overnight and boil. There is no effort involved just time. I then keep them in the fridge ready for salads, soups etc.
Bisphenol A must be in all our bodies from years of using plastic with food before we knew about it. The worst of all is the fact that it was (and still is) present in many baby bottles and dummies. I now avoid plastic (as much as possible) in any form just in case they discover years down the line that another component of it is bad for us.
0 -
Judy,
I agree with Vivre. This is a completely wild story about melatonin. All the alt med doctors recommend melatonin for breast cancer patients.
Look at this from the Life Extension Foundation - references:
http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-022g.shtml#melatonin
Melatonin
One of the most important supplements for a breast cancer patient is the hormone melatonin. Melatonin inhibits human breast cancer cell growth (Cos et al. 2000) and reduces tumor spread and invasiveness in vitro (Cos et al.1998). Indeed, it has been suggested that melatonin acts as a naturally occurring anti-estrogen on tumor cells, as it down-regulates hormones responsible for the growth of hormone-dependent mammary tumors (Torres-Farfan 2003).A high percentage of women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer have low plasma melatonin levels (Brzezinski et al. 1997). There have been some studies demonstrating changes in melatonin levels in breast cancer patients; specifically, women with breast cancer were found to have lower melatonin levels than women without breast cancer (Oosthuizen et al. 1989). Normally, women undergo a seasonal variation in the production of certain hormones, such as melatonin. However, it was found that women with breast cancer did not have a seasonal variation in melatonin levels, as did the healthy women (Holdaway et al. 1997).
Low levels of melatonin have been associated with breast cancer occurrence and development. Women who work predominantly at night and are exposed to light, which inhibits melatonin production and alters the circadian rhythm, have an increased risk of breast cancer development (Schernhammer et al. 2003). In contrast, higher melatonin levels have been found in blind and visually impaired people, along with correspondingly lower incidences of cancer compared to those with normal vision, thus suggesting a role for melatonin in the reduction of cancer incidence (Feychting et al. 1998).
Light at night, regardless of duration or intensity, inhibits melatonin secretion and phase-shifts the circadian clock, possibly altering the cell growth rate that is regulated by the circadian rhythm (Travlos et al. 2001). Disruption of circadian rhythm is commonly observed among breast cancer patients (Mormont et al. 1997; Roenneberg et al. 2002) and contributes to cancer development and tumor progression. The circadian rhythm alone is a statistically significant predictor of survival time for breast cancer patients (Sephton et al. 2000).
Melatonin differs from the classic anti-estrogens such as tamoxifen in that it does not seem to bind to the estrogen receptor or interfere with the binding of estradiol to its receptor (Sanchez-Barcelo 2003). Melatonin does not cause side effects, such as those) caused by the conventional anti-estrogen drug tamoxifen. Furthermore, when melatonin and tamoxifen are combined, synergistic benefits occur. Moreover, melatonin can increase the therapeutic efficacy of tamoxifen (Lissoni et al.1995) and biological therapies such as IL-2 (Lissoni et al. 1994).
How melatonin interferes with estrogen signaling is unknown, though recent studies suggest that it acts through a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-independent signaling pathway (Torres-Farfan 2003). It has been proposed that melatonin suppresses the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) (Blask et al. 2002) and exerts its growth inhibitory effects by inducing differentiation ("normalizing" cancer cells)(Cos et al. 1996). Melatonin directly inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation (Ram et al. 2000) and boosts the production of immune components, including natural killer cells (NK cells) that have an ability to kill metastasized cancer cells.
In tumorigenesis studies, melatonin reduced the incidence and growth rate of breast tumors and slowed breast cancer development (Subramanian et al. 1991). Furthermore, prolonged oral melatonin administration significantly reduced the development of existing mammary tumors in animals (Rao et al. 2000).
In vitro experiments carried out with the ER-positive human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells), demonstrated that melatonin, at a physiological concentration (1 nM) and in the presence of serum or estradiol (a) inhibits, in a reversible way, cell proliferation, (b) increases the expression of p53 and p21WAF1 proteins and modulates the length of the cell cycle, and (c) reduces the metastatic capacity of these cells and counteracts the stimulatory effect of estradiol on cell invasiveness. Further, this effect is mediated, at least in part, by a melatonin-induced increase in the expression of the cell surface adhesion proteins E-cadherin and beta (1)-integrin (Sanchez-Barcelo et al. 2003).
Melatonin can be safely taken for an indefinite period of time. The suggested dose of melatonin for breast cancer patients is 3-50 mg at bedtime. Initially, if melatonin is taken in large doses vivid dreams and morning drowsiness may occur. To avoid these minor side effects melatonin may be taken in low doses nightly and the dose slowly increased over a period of several weeks.
0 -
Thanks.....
Vivre...do you mind sharing your dosage of Melatonin?
0 -
Hi AccidentalTourist,
I'm not sure if you can get coconut milk in a jar, but if you search the internet, you can find recipes to make your own coconut milk that seem relatively easy--especially if you can find unsweetened grated coconut. My local health food store carries it and I buy it all the time to put in my homemade granola--it's so delicious! Here's one of the recipes that I came across to make your own coconut milk:
To make coconut milk from fresh coconut, put 4 cups freshly grated coconut (the yield from 1 medium coconut) in a blender. Add just enough boiling water, or boiling water mixed with reserved coconut water, to make a slurry that blends freely, probably 1 cup or a little more. Blend for at least 30 seconds to extract as much flavor as possible. Let the mixture stand until cool enough to handle. Set a sieve over a bowl and line the sieve with a muslin cloth or a triple thickness of cheesecloth. Add the contents of the blender, then gather the edges of the cloth into a bag and wring hard to extract as much liquid as you can.
Put the liquid in a tall glass container, such as a drinking glass or 1-quart jar. You will probably have 2 to 2 1/2 cups. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to separate into thick and thin layers. It is difficult to predict how much of each you will get. It depends on the fat content of your coconut, the efficiency of your blender, and how vigorously you squeezed. A ratio of one-third thick milk to two-thirds thin milk would be respectable.
If you are pressed for time, you can make acceptable coconut milk with frozen unsweetened grated coconut, preferably from Thailand. Thaw it first, then proceed as for fresh coconut.
Coconut milk quickly loses its sweet, fresh taste. Keep any unused milk in a plastic container in the refrigerator and use within three to four days.
Audrey
0 -
I have debated about posting this, because I really hope it does not start a political argument, but since it refers to our health care, I felt that some of you might find it interesting. Since there are references to the English and Canadian systems, it would be interesting to hear how you felt about your care. I know for me,the hardest part of my treatments was the waiting, even though my doctors did a great job of getting my tests done and treatments set up very quickly. Going to a federal health care system really scares me because it takes away a lot of choice. Nonetheless, here is a very good discussion on it from a bipartisan website: http://hillbuzz.org/
0 -
I can't complain about our Canadian healthcare system.I was dx and sent for treatment without much waiting and everything was covered by ohip even the surgery.Only at home medications were not covered.I was in Chemo 1 week after biopsy. Now that my second surgery is optional I will have a wait time. Seems like a pretty good system to me.
0 -
Virve - Should we start a new thread on this??
Our financial representative is from Canada and a former NFL hockey player. His parents still live in Canada. His stories on the health care are not positive.
The switch scares me too because my understanding is that they TELL you what is best for you and your choices are no longer your choices. I did not need a bilateral mastectomy, I only needed a unilateral mastectomy. I am quite certain that a bilateral was more expensive. Under a universal system, I wonder if I would have had the choice. Now that is what concerns me.
Of course you never really hear the postive things, but I have heard of people dying from waiting for treatment and surgeries because the system is so bogged down.
They tried universal health care for kids in Hawaii last year and I believe they stopped it after 7 month because EVERYONE was using it. I will try to find information on it. Here is an article to read about it. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,439607,00.html
0 -
Susers-I am a bit afraid of political discussions after being burned, even though I am very passionate about the subject. I think we need to keep this thread clean. I just wanted to call attention to this poignant story on Hillbuzz, written by a couple of guys I really admire for their courage. They really try to look at issues from a "country first", not "party" perspective and they had a lot of good responses on this topic. There is another thread that is leading in this direction, maybe we should pick it up there?
Judy, I take 3 mg for melatonin and I have been for over a year. I started right after surgery. It has really helped me to sleep.
Anom- that was a really interesting article about melatonin,especially the part that blind people have low rates of cancer. It makes a lot of sense.
If anyone does have trouble sleeping, make sure the room is very dark. It makes a HUGE difference. Even a little LED light will disrupt a normal sleep pattern. If the room is not dark, the melatonin is useless. I keep a satin eye pillow that is filled with lavender on my bed. The minute the room starts to get light, I cover my eyes and fall back to sleep.
0 -
I am going out to get the ingredients for Lisa's Mango black bean salad!
This gives me such joy! discovering delicious recipes that are healthy!
woooooo!!!!!
Spring...
(PS, yes, still on a "birthday high") LOL!!!
0 -
There is another thread where they are talking about the cost of health care....you all may want to discuss that there?
Spring, let me know how you like the mango/black bean salad...we love it!
Okay, started reading a book that I think you will all want to check out...it's by my "idol" Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser! LOL Anyway...a lot of great information in there on balancing your hormones!
"Master your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels. Thought you would want to check it out!
0 -
Hi again,
This is a bit off the subject, but can someone please tell me how to add to my diagnosis other than the checklist they give you. I know a lot of people have quotes and also I had a bilat and cannot figure out how to add this info to my profile.
Also, anyone had any experience with kombucha tea...I was using the ginger flavor after my surgery as recc by my son'd girlfriend and mn onc nixed it.
0 -
Why did your onco nix it? I love that stuff
0 -
Yep, when I started out, I got unbelievably goofy on melatonin. I had to break a 1 mg tab in half and work up. Meanwhile, nobody else knew what I was talking about when I complained.
They took 20 mg with no side effects.
I tried different brands at first also, maybe five kinds. I was just sensitive to the stuff.
0 -
I tried taking 5mg of Melatonin for sleep this last week. I took it several days in a row- at first I thought it was great bc I had no trouble falling asleep. But I started waking up too early and then waking up with a killer headache. yesterday I had the worst headache of my life- tylenol did nothing. I skipped taking it last night and feel way better today. I don't know for sure if it was the melatonin- maybe I took too high a dose- I liked the helping me sleep part and it sounds like it could be good for me. I am going through chemo right now, sooo maybe that affects things.
0 -
Alyad,
I didn't do chemo but I had similar problems in the beginning.
Melatonin can cause headaches but I was told the time-release prevents this "withdrawal" too.. And the waking up after 6 hours is supposed to be from the same thing --withdrawal -- that it wears off and you get wide awake. I had that for a while too.
Geez, I sound like a feeb.
0 -
I research Canada health care recently, The doctor were quoted saying they could give you your prognosis by you zip code. Higher income zips got better care. National care still does not mean equal care...I't just wishful thinking. Also Canada does very little research why? No money left after health care cost. We just had someone post here online that she waited six months for a MRI. I've also heard other stories that bring chills to me about the care of Stage IV and how many treatments you can receive before they stop treating you. I did not post this article again because of the political problems that will start.
Flalady
0
