natural girls
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MBJ - That diet looks great, but it's full of fish
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Claire: Yes, that's the dilemma! He does recommend Wild Caught, Sustainably caught fish and makes mention of fish that are lower in mercury on his site. However, I found that you can modify this diet to suit your needs: doens't matter if you are vegitarian, vegan, pescatarian. Modify it to suit your own needs and keep the balance of proteins, healthy fats and high antioxidants.
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Another food obsessive here. At times, I give in to my cravings (just had two mini-brownies full of gluten and sugar!ugh), but we all have to live a little bit. I am attempting to tamper down on my obsessive tendencies.... yes, even the constant researching that I do. I have spent the past 10 months of my life searching, searching, searching for information on how to get and stay healthy, and it's turned into a bit of a quest. At a certain point, I feel like I am missing out on things, so when I am faced with a group of people drinking wine, I have a little bit.
However, I will still search for supplements, good foods, etc to help me when I am not socializing with friends. I think this life is meant to be enjoyed, not to spend every waking moment in fear, though it's hard to say that when you are faced with cancer diagnosis..... Sea Otter, I hope you come back at a certain point, but I totally understand taking a break!
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P.S. Did you see this news about flouride?
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-fluoride-maryland-20110107,0,3651613.story
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The news about too much fluoride in water was on the evening news too. Does anyone know if the Brita filters remove fluoride and chlorine?
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Seaotter I find myself looking at all food and thinking about how it is unhealthy. Have to be careful what I say to others because they will think I am obsessed. Someone was trying to be nice to me today and gave me a bad a chocolate. OMG it was hard to get excited about it. But I managed, did not want to hurt their feelings.
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hi- I have avoided this thread for a long time because I felt I would be unwelcome, having done chemo, etc. But I am (on my onc's rec) off arimidex now and instead using supplements + flax to keep my Est. levels down (less than7, no drugs!) and I spend most of my time (it feels like) doing lifestyle type stuff to prevent recurrence, and I want to keep up with what other people are doing. So I might join in if that's ok with you all.
I also have a difficult time seeing the things people around me eat- I know it's totally normal but I find it shocking!It reminds me of when I was getting chemo, and my partner and I were there together one time and someone else was eating fast food while getting the treatment and later he said he was totally shocked and felt like he was watching someone giving their baby a cigarette. I was happy to know it wasn't just me!
Designermom- I do not think britas remove flouride. I believe you need a solid carbon block filter for that (the kind you attach to the faucet).
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One study found that the more GM corn was fed to mice, the fewer babies they had.
Yeah, when I had my first four miscarriages, I was a vegan eating a ton of soy and corn-based products, and at the time I didn't put a priority on organic, so I was ingesting plenty of GM corn/soy. Thanks, Monsanto, for the worst heartbreak of my life and for killing my precious children.I have had this niggling feeling that diet coke consumption (2 a day for years) led to my breast cancer. The more research I did into aspartame, the more convinced I became.
Yep!! The other thing I was doing in the years leading up to my miscarriages and cancer diagnosis was drinking at least 3-5 16-ounce bottles of Diet Coke. Gee, wonder how I developed cancer??!!!
Marianna, I haven't read that article yet, but one of the first things DH and I did after my diagnosis last year was to order a good water filter that filtered not just chlorine and the usual junk, but fluoride specifically. It's a poison and there is NO reason to be ingesting that garbage. It's literally toxic industrial waste.
seaotter, here's what I think I'd try if I needed to gain weight... I'd get some coconut oil and/or grass-fed butter and organic potatoes, bake or fry them, sprinkle with all kinds of good cancer-fighting herbs, and eat a ton every day! Starches are a great way to gain weight... do you bake bread? I'd take up baking and bake some delicious sprouted-grain bread and eat plenty of it every day. That, of course, is in addition to the organic veggies etc. you're already eating.
Vivre, there are some kooky conspiracy theories out there, but the scary thing is that some of them are true... for instance, that the same group of global billionaires (the likes of Soros etc.) basically decide who will be on the U.S. Democrat and Republican ticket, and they always pick someone who plays on their team... so no matter whether the D or R wins, they are free to pursue their agenda. As someone who voted straight Republican since I was 18, it was devastating to me to learn how certain high-powered politicians like Bush are just as guilty as Obama in pushing all this GM crap on us. Anyway, I won't get into all of it here, but just keep in mind that just because there are idiotic conspiracy theories out there doesn't mean they are all untrue.
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I also have a difficult time seeing the things people around me eat- I know it's totally normal but I find it shocking!It reminds me of when I was getting chemo, and my partner and I were there together one time and someone else was eating fast food while getting the treatment and later he said he was totally shocked and felt like he was watching someone giving their baby a cigarette. I was happy to know it wasn't just me!
Oh boy can I relate to that!! My poor parents... they spent a week with us in December for my surgery and yes, they heard more than a few lectures. What do they expect when they move in for a week bringing radioactive-looking orange soda and Coke, keep using the microwave even though I've asked them not to, etc.?? LOL... my poor parents... thankfully, their foundation of good nutrition from when they were children (veggies from their parents' gardens, real/raw milk from their own cows, eggs from their own pastured chickens, etc.) seems to have kept them free of disease so far.
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I had a hard time with (too much) weight loss during and after chemo too- I was able to get back up to normal weight and maintain by eating lots of protien powder. It's not as much fun as yummy starches, but healthier I think. But I definitely have those in my diet as well.
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Seaotter, please don't leave. I, too, am struggling to keep my weight on but lately seem to have turned a corner and am maintaining. I have reached a happy medium however. I eat 90% good 80% of the time. In other words, at home and sometimes when I eat out, I eat organic. The rest of the time I eat a big juicy non-grass fed steak at a restaurant with friends. I enjoy red wine and will drink it a couple times a week. In fact, I am going on a cruise in two weeks and this cruise is a gourmet cruise. But the saving grace is that much of the food is purchased from local farmers so although this cruise is a big time cheat, it won't be as bad as it could be. I just can't live my life worrying about every bite I take. JMHO.
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Hi Jessamine,
I remember you from the A thread. You and I had similar treatment and the 1/2 dosage of A.
The gals here are working away to keep their estrogen levels down and as you can see, life gets a bit complicated.
Glenis
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Jessamine, of course you are welcome here. I find it amazing that your Onc is going along with something that is not "protocol." But I think that it's great! I feel for you having to go through all that at such a young age, especially the ooph. I think I've seen some of your posts maybe on the MOJO thread?
I also have a hard time because most people around me really eat a crappy diet. From family members who just refuse to see the light to coworkers with their packaged microwave meals. And everybody seems to eat only white bread products. I feel like it's hard to cook for my family. I eat mostly vegetarian and fish and husband likes lots of meats and dairy.
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I can't believe how we are all on the same wavelength. It has been so frustrating for me, dealing with those I care most about at times. You would think they would be more supportive, but they tend to want to sabotage me by chiding me that I need to" live a little". THAT is the point! I am living and I feel fantastic. I think they are just envious, they do not have any willpower. There is nothing like facing your own mortality that is more motivating.
That said, we cannot obsess over this. As I said before, you do need to eat as purely as possible to get your body healthy during treatments and then you need to detox and give your body strength. When you get to the maintenance phase, you can fall off the wagon a bit, but just get right back on and don't look back. Just listen to your body, it will tell you when you have erred.
Julia-don't feel guilty about the past. You are doing the right thing now. Detox all that gunk out and you will have the healthy babies you deserve. My friend had problems for 8 years, and then all of a sudden, things kicked in and she ended up with 4 kids. And I know how you feel about the pols. I am sick of the parties picking candidates instead of the people. That is why I love the Tea Party. I believe they will continue to pressure pols to represent the people or they will be out, no matter what party they represent.
For all you gals looking to gain weight (never in my life had that problem!), but you might look to see if your food is actually digesting. Are you taking any digestive enzymes or probiotic? Eat lots of protein as others have suggested and avocados are high in calories and good for you!
If anyone is looking for some motivation, check out my blog: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/look-whos-walking/2011/01/are-you-sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired.html
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Like all of you, I am apalled watching my friends and family eat all the junk. I try not to get on my soapbox, but it's hard. My big brother's health is rapidly declining. He is overweight, has high blood pressure, gout and now diabetes. He and his wife (also overweight and diabetic) travel with a whole suitcase just for their meds! I try to get him to change his thinking, but he is just sold on the medical establishment. It just breaks my heart. By the way, he has unlimited financial means and could hire a chef, trainer or anything needed!
Jessamine- thanks for your thoughts about the Brita not being adequate to filter flouride. What are all you other ladies drinking for water? I don't want to get bottled water because of the plastic bottles that leach into the water.
Like a lot of you, I think it is important not to beat ourselves up when we have an occassional wine etc.... Doing the right thing most of the time will make a huge difference. I think being in a constant state of "I can't eat this or touch that" can be equally stressful and also unhealthy.
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Designermom, I use a DuPont brand of filter that fits into the Britta but only takes out lead, mercury, cadmium, atrazine and tetrachloroethylene. It doesn't say anything about fluoride. I guess I was lucky because the last 40 yrs I had a well. It's unfortunate that I moved into this house and have city water now.
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seotter someone posted about eating coconut oil. My yoga instructor told me she was using it it everything and she started gaining too much weight and had to cut back. Maybe that may be a good option for you. She said it is yummy.
I have been trying to change my eating habits over the last couple of years but since being dx have really been reading and trying to make some major changes with diet and exercise. I know that I have alot to improve on and the more I read the more I realize how much I don't know. For me it has been a religous awaking. I am a Christian and realized after being dx that I had not been a good steward of my body that God has given me. I had just taken it for granted. I don't think God wants me abusing my body with all the bad stuff that is out there, when He created such good stuff for us. So that is my soapbox and I am trying to learn more and more and make positive changes.
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Welcome, jessamine! I think many BCO members mistakenly believe that all the women on this thread have totally shunned conventional treatment, which just isn't true. I had chemo & rads -- albeit very reluctantly. But I did them both, as have others here. The important thing now is to rebuild our bodies from the bad effects of those txs, and be sure we do everything we can to prevent a recurrence.
DesignerMom, so nice to see your beautiful avatar with your name!
Patty, I'm not sure what prompted you to want to leave, but you know I support you in whatever you feel you need to do. But if we don't know about harmful things like mercury in seafood, how can we possibly know if what we're eating might be harming us as much as helping us? I can see pulling away from BCO because at a point it may be holding us back emotionally from moving on, and maybe that's part of why you suddenly feel the need to leave? At any rate, I hope you'll keep in touch! Deanna
PS... Just wanted to add... as far as being shocked at what other people eat... lately I can't even shop in a regular supermarket. The amount of non-food just grosses me out. I tried it last night and left without anything on my list. Had to go to Trader Joes & then Henry's (like Whole Foods) to get what I needed. I've always been very health conscious, but even so, I've made a considerable number of changes since my dx. And where I can see my improved eating & exercise habits having the most affect is with my DH, who has dropped about 20 lbs. and now works out regularly.
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thanks all! hi! Painterly- hi! so did you also end up going off the A? What happened with the 1/2 dose? I found it to be pretty much the same as the whole dose- if going off made my levels go up too much we were going to put me on 1/4, but so far, no need!0
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You all are so informed , my head is ready to explode with all this great info. Deanna..thanks for the info and insight. Both you and vivre..on the bioidentical hormones. I still got BC being on bio's but was not balanced properly and did not have the right Dr to direct me. With that being said it is without a doubt that most Drs will not get involved with this as it is not a money maker for them and as you both said,Drs cannot see how it works versus the HRT as a one for all pill.0
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Also..Dr Pollcove's site looks great and appreciate the 411 on this deanna!!
Also, as for me, I am thin and for awhile after chemo and even prior to BC, got too thin!!f For me, my food was not absorbing and it is all a process ,elimintaing leaky gut, malabsorption issues and having heavy doses of probotics. My recent stool test suggests me on Seravol's HMT Replete for thirty days as test show some necessary replenishing of my gut with high amounts of probiotics. some damage defintiely done from chemo and am still restoring my gut!!!
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Patty, I'd sure hate to see you go. I know we're all like goldilocks in search of food that's just right and there's a whole lot of bowls that fall short in this world, but none of ever get to the point of vibrant health by letting the negativity get the upper hand. I was feeling very much the same way last year when I was reading Food Inc. Pesticides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified foods, factory farms, deplorable conditions for animals, plants and the people who do the work.
I was finding myself getting seriously depressed. How can little ol' me have any impact on the way this crazy world works?? Simplicity is truly the answer every time. I grew my very first herb and vegetable garden last year. It's empowering even more than it is delicious. I don't have to change the world. All I have to do is the best that I can with what I have available.
We all have our own path and we each find our own solutions. Yours will come with time, if you keep trying and never give up. You might just find yourself in a room full of storebought cookies and cake and smile with relief when you see the fresh fruit salad or homemade hummus with celery sticks. I had that very experience today at a gathering. Sometimes you just plod along and plod along and don't even realize how far you've come until you suddenly realize that you're longing for lettuce instead of a chocolate bar.
designermom, I found some friends who drink wine from a 1.5 liter glass bottle, which is slightly bigger than a gallon. I use these to hold the filtered water I buy at the kiosk. Reverse osmosis is needed to get out the flouride. ...I'm hoping the schlepping around these heavy bottles will give me an added benefit of stronger bones. Don't know if that'll pan out. I was hoping they would get rid of my bingo wings, but it's a year later and I still have them.
jessamine, I think most, if not all, of us here on this thread went through conventional treatments for our bc. We're just doing what we think is best to achieve vibrant health in hopes that cancer will never darken our door ever again.
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Thanks for the information on the water filter. We are now looking into a water filtration system for our house, but they are $$$$$, so we'll probably just start with one for the showerhead and one for the kitchen.
As for watching people eat foods, now that my eating habits have changed dramatically, I am shocked at what I ate before BC!!! And I was an organic, fairly crunch-granola eater!?!? I am stunned at the amount of bread everyone consumes. I think that must be how Asians must feel when they visit the USA, since they are not accustomed to the amounts of bread that we are....Anyway, I think it's pretty unbalanced, and the food pyramid based on "grains" is somewhat of a joke at our house.
As for husbands getting on the bandwagon, I sure wish mine would. He still eats a lot of junk food. I've told him that for 2011, he needs to change that up, as we have 3 small children, and if I were to suddenly go, he'd better be prepared for full-time child rearing, and he needs to be HEALTHY for it!!!Deanna, I feel the same about supermarkets. It's getting pretty pricey and very time consuming to follow my shopping schedule, as it entails trips to Costco (good prices on Almond Butter and large quantities of frozen and fresh produce for my children and me) and Whole Foods for the rest of our meat, produce and gluten free goods. I sure wish we had Trader Joe's in Texas.
It's tough to shop for this high vegetable, protein only (no wheat or sugar whatsoever) diet!
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Thanks for this post! I changed my diet completely and my onc rolls her eyes at me. We juice, no sugar, no white flour, no white rice, no alcohol as it's dehydrating and hydrate with lots of good alkaline water, make sure you get enough electrolytes and magnesium if you have muscle pain, Melatonin and Turmeric (super antioxidents), lots of greens, everything fresh, COQ10 (but not with chemo), NAC, calcium D glucarate (especially if estrogen positive), fiber fiber fiber (I used Trader Joe's colon clense), FISH oil, 5000 units of vitamin D3, calcium, multiple vitamin, papaya and ginger for nausia and to settle stomach, digestive enzymes, PROBIOTICS (eat Kefir or plain non-fat yogurt but more in a refrigerated capsule), kambucha (whole foods), brown rice, good source of lean protein (egg whites, chicken and turkey), fish (wild caught salmon or tuna), no hydrogenated oils, I steam everything now. I cut out dairy also. That's all I can think of!!!
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Got my root canal tooth out. Wondering if anyone else has read Dr. Mienig's book, Root Canal Cover Up. My dentist showed the roots of the tooth to me after removal. MAJOR infection! It was black with white spongy looking tumors on it. (Sorry, dont mean to gross anyone out.) He said that the infection has been there for a good while, there's no way it got in that condition within just the last couple of months and it's no wonder I was so fatigued. My post nasal drip has all but stopped and it's only been about 36 hours since it was removed.
On another note, I found a website that shows how our favorite non-profit organizations are rated, where the annual funds go and how much the officers are compensated. For instance Hala Moddelmog of the the Susan G Koman Foundation was compensated almost $532,000.
Kind of a handy tool...
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Can someone please explain what Kefir is and is it safe for us ER+ ladies? I was at the health food store yesterday and the woman in line in front of me was buying 7 large bottles of the stuff. What is it exactly - it looked something like yogourt to me.
Terri
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impositive- I got a root canal/crown in 2004 (first time ever). In 2005 i got fibromyalgia and in 2009, BC. Who can say why, but I got mine pulled too. I think I feel better since, but I do so much stuff it could be that or not. But either way, I think it was the right thing to do. I had a lot of doubts when I got it and I wish I'd skipped it altogether...
Kefir is basically a yogurt drink. It's as safe as any dairy product. I think maybe it has more probiotic cultures? It's super yummy IMO. A lot of times it's fruit flavored or sweetened so depending on whether you're eating sweetners, you could check for that.
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Hi Jessamine,
I got switched to another AI (1/2 pill) and I had such a severe reaction that the idea of an AI was dropped altogether coupled with the fact that my estrogen level was so low which confirmed the decision.
My onc. was very pleased with the healthy eating habits I have adopted and said that she wishes her other patients would do the same instead of just taking their pills. I also mentioned that I was checking my saliva/urine ph level (until I ran out of testing strips). "Excellent," she said, "but don't bother with the urine test as there is too much adjustment that the body does for it to be of concern to you."
Glenis
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Well said Althea. Nothing like the voice of experience. I remember when you were so exasperated and ready to give up because you could not find the answers. You are a prime testimony of perserverence. I hope others take heart.
Water-I installed a triple osmosis filter that I had my handyman install in one of my cabinets. The water comes up from the basement and it has a separate little faucet. We have a well, so I do not have to worry about what the city puts in the water, but I do have to worry about ground seepage. I need to get my water tested, which any county health dept. will do for you. It was under $200 installed. I got the system at Menards.
Impositive-I had the same icky infection going on under my root canal. I wish everyone would take this seriously and get a biological dentist. Yeah, it sucks losing a tooth, but it is better than losing a life. This bacteria has also been associated with sudden heart attacks. Jim Hensen died like this. You are lucky the post nasal drip stopped. I still have not been able to get rid of mine. Perhaps after I finish with the mercury amalgams. So far, the ones I have replaced had infection under them too. Can't wait to get this poison out.
Kefir is indeed a great probiotic. I need to give it a try, but I really only like to drink water and tea. Make sure it is hormone free.
For more on water, check out Dr. John Apsley. I heard him speak at the Health Freedom expo last year. Dr. Apsley was training for the Olympics (70's), when he crashed. His whole adrenals shut down. Can we say CHLORINE overdose. He became fascinated by water and has traveled the world studying it. He even explained why the waters in places like Lourdes really are healing. He talks about ionized water. One of my docs has been speaking about Kangan water systems. I tried drinking this water one weekend and got two really bad bloody noses. I never get them, and have not had one since I finshed the water. So there is definitely something different with this water. I am going to get some more and try it again.(and keep the tissues handy) Kangan water costs thousands, so I will not be going that route, but my doc gives it away for free so I will just stick to his refills.
Welcome CD-I am not far from Elmhurst. I met a book author from Elmhurst who has a book out called 101 Superfoods. Have you heard of it? I am going to ask him to do a seminar for my ThinkBeyondThePink program this year. I will let you know.
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Okay, you ladies talking about root canals have my attention. I have two remaining in my mouth (one from last year I haven't finished paying for). I have one molar missing that was in the middle of an imlpant when I was diagnosed.Is there a way they can determine if they are infected before pulling them? If we do remove root canals (molars in my case), what the heck do we chew with? Are implants safe?
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