natural girls
Comments
-
Audray, I have a very neat scar but cannot vouch whether it is due to Rosa Mosqueta or having good luck in landing with a very good surgeon.
Simvog and Lili thank you for alerting me to the nutrition link. I have copied it into word and am trying to tidy it up so I can send it to friends. I have not had a chance to read it all but noted something about pickled cabbage. I was always told that sauerkrout was healthy and was confused when it was suggested earlier on in the thread that it was not. The following paragraph is a quote from that link:
- "The U.S. component of the Polish Women's Health Study found that women who consumed raw- or short-cooked cabbage and sauerkraut 3 or more times weekly had a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer [39]."
Finally, and controversially, I copy further quote from the same link.
- Research suggests that while green tea did significantly decrease tumor mass, when green tea was combined with soy phytonutrients*, the tumor mass decreased even further [294]. Further evidence indicates a possible synergistic relationship between soy and green tea consumption [288]. Numbers indicate references which are at the back of the paper.
0 -
Susers,
That was my diet too. Soy this and soy that.,,the year before I was dx'd. Did one thing have anything to do with the other, who's to say?
Audrey,
Flax has been researched and said to offset the damage that eating soy might do. Something you might want to look into, otherwise you can make your own dim, cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower - in a juicer, and munching on the pulp. It doesn't get any better then that.
0 -
The reason I took I3C instead of DIM was the soy. It is so frustrating how confusing everything is.
I am finally meeting with my doctor on Mon. to get the urinalysis results and iodine loading test results. It will be a relief to finally have a doctor who understands hormones read my results to me. I will ask her about the DIM/I3C issue. She is a former ob/gyn who now speciailizes in aging and hormone therapy. I am hoping I can get her to blog for me too. We really need to understand all this stuff!
That usf nutrtion link mentioned that pomegranate juice is good for us. Here goes another conflicting opinion. I guess it is best to just feel that any natural food should be good for us. I think the key to any healthy diet is variety, of the good stuff of course, and limiting the bad stuff. That is all we can do. Sometimes, good ole common sense is the best way to go.
0 -
Rosemary. do you have a Vitamix? I always wondered if they would pulverize veggies enough? I cannot stand drinking thick stuff and I hate to waste all those veggies that come out the other end of a juicer. I wonder if the pulverized veggies with a little tomato juice and some herbs would be a good cold soup?
By the way, a book I am reading now talks about juicing and says to make sure that to peel stuff that may be exposed to pesticides, such as the ones in that one link. It makes sense. The book also said that apple seeds may contain cyanide, so do not juice them, as well as pits from peaches, but grape seeds are okay.
0 -
Vivre, I have one of those stick like mixers and I pulverize my soups with it. As long as you get a good, strong one, it does a great job and saves on washing up. Apart from bread making mashine it is the most used gadget in our kitchen.
0 -
Thanks Soapsnug! I'll check out the DIM you get. I am compiling a list of what I need. It's taking a long time LOL
BTW can you tell me about the name soapsnug? Kinda funny and I'm curious...
0 -
Vivre,
I bought a cheap one because I didn't know if I would have the staying power so why spend the money. I get a big glass of juice, it's not thick. It's very watery. I use the Jack LaLanne because the hole where you put the veggies in is large so less cutting. Everything about that machine is large, so it takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. It does the job.
Juicing is a mess but I feel so good after juicing that I don't think about the clean up much. It's another thing to consider on our road to good health.
You really don't want to peel anything because the vitamins are in the peel, buying organic is important and washing is too even if it is organic. I have this huge problem with grocers not using gloves when stacking vegetables. That's my personal peeve.
I'll go on, I watched a woman with her bare hands opening up the organic strawberry boxes and touching them all with bare hands. She was looking for the best ones. And I was getting sick watching her. Alright, alright, I'll go for therapy. But still.
0 -
Ah, Rosemary, you always make me laugh! I can just see you eyeing the nutcase massaging the strawberries. My current pet peeve, is the people who like to switch the plants in the 4 packs at the nurseries, so someone ends up with a cherry tomato when they thought they were buying a big boy.
I know you are not supposed to peel any fruit before juicing, I just read though that you should on fruits that get lots of pesticides sprayed on them like apples and those horrible waxed cucumbers. I have this really great little peeler I got at SurLaTable. It is a square that slips over the finger and rests in the palm, and peeling is a real snap! But the best thing is to grow your own of course. Then you do not have to peel them. I just bought a 5 in one apple and 4 in one cherry tree(they pollenate this way) to plant around the resting place for my dear little kitty who we had to put down this week. It is so hard not having my little shadow following me around. She was always waiting at the door for me and was always near me. It is so strange not having her here. We had her for over 15 years so I am really missing her. It is so hard to see a pet suffer. I still have not come to grips with whether or not I did the right thing, but she had not eaten in days and could barely walk, My poor little baby. I hope she is really happy in kitty heaven.
0 -
How do you figure out how much DIM you should take.
Thanks and happy mother's day to all of you
0 -
Oh Vivre,
I know exactly how you feel. I lost the best dog in the world, years ago, way before his time and I still think about him. I haven't been able to get another dog to this day. He was a small dog and cats use to chase him. It was embarrassing. I would tell him to be a man and go chase that cat, and he would, but came back with the cat on his heels everytime. I would always hope the neighbors wasn't watching. It's very hard to go through losing them..
I wanted to grow my own blueberries till I read that we would have to pick off beautiful blossoms in order for the fruit to grow. I wasn't sure I could do that, so no blueberry bushes. Who's picking them off in the wild? They still grow berries. Questions with no answers.
Try to feel better about your shadow. You did the right thing.
0 -
Dear Vivre,
I am so sorry to hear that you lost your kitty. My heart goes out to you.
Much love
Mandy
0 -
Just for a little background on soy. When the researchers tested soy on tumors, yes they did get smaller, and thus we hear about how good it is.
Another researcher came along and did the entire project as the first one did, following his protocols, but he let the test go longer then the first researcher. What the second researcher found out, is yes it did reduce the size of a tumor within 6 weeks, but if you keep it up for a longer period of time, the tumor came back with a vengeance and it grew larger.
The moral of this story is when we read research we always have to know how long the project lasted. Some research is cut off because of funding or because they got the result they were looking for and they went no further. It's good to know both sides of the story so you can make good decisions for yourself.
0 -
Rosemary: Thank you so much for posting that information on soy. Where did you find the articles? I am always interested in reading articles and trying to figure out what is going on. It is kind of frightening because soy is in everything now....soy oil pops up where you least expect it.
0 -
Mandy,
I find research in Pubmed. First I look for the most recent research, then how long it lasted. If they don't give you the length of the study, then to me, they're hiding something.
Here's a new one with length of 10-12 weeks saying low dose genistein might be helpful, so it makes me feel better about getting small amounts of soy which is in everything.
That made the page get wider, so just look up Pubmed, put in a search for soy and tumor growth and see if you find the one I'm referring to about small amounts of genistein.
Here's a nice page about berries:
0 -
I posted something on genistein before, having read it in the Warrior Woman book I am reading (sounds goofy but it is a great resource for nutrition for bc). Anyway--the author (and MD) said that some of the soy controversy came from a study they did with genistein alone--which is one of the nutrients in soy--it seemed to have adverse effects on cancer growth, so I think they even stopped the study. However there have been some studies that show favorable results from soy. She recommends eating whole foods, not relying on someone to guess which nutrients within a food are the helpful ones and pulling them out to consume separately. Vivre, I know you mentioned this as well.
I don't eat soy being ER+ and I just haven't read anything that makes me feel safe having it, although I do drink green tea every day.
PubMed is great--you can read the studies themselves. I used it a lot at the beginning, after surgery.
Rosemary, you crack me up about the strawberries!!
Oh and I'm so glad you mentioned the scar cream as the Mederma stuff I initially bought has parabens so chucked it. I do have to swtich out on the nail polish until OPI changes their formula--yikes!
0 -
Lexislove--whew! re-read your post on OPI nail polish and am happy to see they already removed the pthalates! I know it's the least of our worries but I have been getting pedis and would hate to use something harmful although let's face it, none of the chemicals in nail polish (and the remover) are probably any good!
I did at least stop getting manis after I had surgery so at least I cut the exposure down 50%! 0 -
Another good article on the benefits of curcumin/tumeric:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/09/New-Hope-for-Natural-Weight-Loss.aspx
0 -
I know I mentioned this before and got no takers, but this really sounds like a great excuse for the nutural girls to get together:
http://www.healthfreedomexpo.com/09chicago/attend/seminars.php?day=3
The schedule of events look fantastic! Lots of great speakers and I am sure there will be lots of great exibitors. Ontly $35 for the weekend. I will be glad to help anyone who wants to go find a place to stay. It is in the burbs. Stay a couple of days and explore Chicago, which is really beautiful in the summer, with lots of things to do. Airfares are really cheap in and out of Chicago on Southwest.
0 -
Susers, I have that book too but have not had time to dive into it yet.
Apple, OK good hint on the Stevia growing! Pinch back. Mine is also taking off gangbusters, straight up!
Spring.
PS Hope every Mom here had a happy mother's day!
0 -
Virve - I would LOVE to go to this. Patricia Bragg and Steve Trudeau I would be very very interested in hearing. Also I would love to hear about some of the other mentioned topics. Chicago is just a hop skip and a jump away too!
Unfortuneately, I will be in a van heading to South Dakota for a long overdue family vacation in the Black Hills.
I am so disappointed to miss this.
0 -
Yes Bev, pinch every Herb back you grow.. it will allow them to spread out... making more..
I agree with Apple, my fellow Kansas lady....:)... WHOM.. I have still not met.. EVEN though we are both from the same area..and we are both from the same Church/Catholic......
Love ya Apple.. someday, we shall have lunch....:)0 -
Hi Ladies! I went back to the health food store and found the author of the book-it's worth reading.
It's titled, "The Whole Soy Story" The Darkside of America's Favorite Health Food. Author; Kaayla T. Daniel PhD. a doctor named Dr. Joseph Mercola gave it a thumbs up!
Another great book to have on hand is "A Consumers Guide Of Cosmetic Ingredients." Author; Ruth Winter MS
0 -
OK I better get out there pinching! The taragon is getting way tall too.
Laura and Apple! Should meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!
Spring.
0 -
Hi Everyone,
My name is Grace and I was recently diagnosed with DCIS and IDC in my left breast. I took a ride to the dark side for a couple of days ( scary place that I refuse to go to again), reeled myself back in with the help of very loving and supportive family, friends and posts from BC.ORG and prepared myself for battle. On May 4th, my husband and I met with the surgeon and since "I" had already decided that I would have a double Mastectomy, Rads and Chemo while on the "dark side" hearing her recommendation of a Lumpectomy was comforting and appropriate. We decided that would be the best course of action for me and my surgery was scheduled for the the 18th. I had already consulted with a doctor who specializes in Alternative Medicine and ordered supplements. I was told by the doctor to begin taking them immediately but to discontinue 4 days prior to surgery and to go organic and raw as much as possible drink filtered water, exercise and try to maintain a positive attitude. He also said we would discuss further options after the tumor was removed and the final pathology report was available. Check, Check, Check.
But...not so fast.... I received another call Thursday, was told that I have dense breasts and that upon review by a 2nd Radiologist I would now need to have ultrasounds on both breasts. I arrived early Friday morning and upon review by a 3rd Radiologist was told "there was so much going on in there he didn't know where to begin to biopsy." He said I have 4 areas of concern in the right breast that look to be benign, could be lymph nodes and another in the left breast that "looks" suspicious". Now my surgeon is going to schedule an MRI and my surgery could be postponed. Needless to say I was a bit annoyed after having asked at least 3 people "is there was anything of concern in my right breast" and " are you sure there is nothing else in the left breast?" based on my mammogram and biopsy report. I was also told that the 1 cm mass is actually 1.8 cm. When I asked about the conflicting report I was told that " ultrasounds are "experience driven" and that the time taken by the tech and their experience determines the outcome." Hmmm. Better than hearing it had grown but still.....
The tech was a BC Survivor so she was extremely thorough and even brought in another tech as a second pair of eyes. They had me change positions quite a few times and asked me to hum which did not occur during the first ultrasound. The first one was rather quick but how was I to know the difference?
Based on this recent turn of events I would like to prepare for the MRI as much as possible and I hope someone here can advise me on what to expect and what to ask? Also, has anyone else experienced this? I realize it is better to have a complete and accurate DX before proceeding so I will try to exercise patience while fielding curve balls.
As always,
Grace
And when I am ill, it is He who cures me (26:80)0 -
Grace,
I also have (or had) very dense breast tissue that confounded everyone. I would get the MRI so you know what you are dealing with. It may help you make a decision as you go forward...
I had chemo before any surgery, and I a glad as it gave me time to really think about what I wanted to do for surgery. It was a real journey, and I tortured myself, but in the end, I decided on a bilateral mastectomy with immediate recon so I would never have to deal with the confounding breast tissue again. I had skin and nipple sparing, so that all of "me" is there, just re-stuffed with insides that can't get cancer and no more mammo's, etc. I feel so "free" of all my dense and confusing/confounding breast tissue!
My lump was very large and was not found my ultrasound nor mammogram. My BS could not guarantee that any further cancer "action" would be found while DCIS or LCIS. These were the main reasons I chose what I did. I have not had one regret personally.
Anyway. Good luck to you. I really think dense tissue is overlooked and not dealt with... And needs to be...
Spring.
0 -
Grace ~ It's really good that you're getting an MRI. Unfortunately, I had what I later found out was a poor MRI prior to my lumpectomy. Luckily, the pathology from the lumpectomy didn't make sense, so I went to UCLA for a 2nd opinion, and they redid my blurry MRI and found 2 additional lesions in areas my first MRI had called "obscured. So, needless to say, I tell every woman with a bc dx to be sure to get an MRI, because it's the only way to see into dense breasts. Also, because I barely had enough tummy tissue for a uni-DIep, my PS @ UCLA would not do that surgery without assurance that there was nothing going on in the other breast, which the MRI provided.
It's not at all uncommon for docs to tell us one thing one day, then have the picture change as they get additional test results. Unfortunately, they don't always make this clear up front (my original BS didn't), and when the picture suddenly worsens, it can be emotionally devastating. But it sounds like your doctors are absolutely correct in wanting an MRI, and it's really nothing to be fearful about.
vivre ~ I'm so sorry about your kitty. We had to put down our 12-year old Llhasa-Poo about a year ago, so I know how tough it is and what a void it leaves. There are still times when I'll be preparing food or clearing the table and expect Bandit to be there, patiently waiting for a taste. (((Hugs))) Deanna
0 -
Grace as Ivorymom said, the MRI is not that big of a deal. I could have taken a nap during it, if the machine weren't so loud! LOL
I have always had dense breasts...my mammograms were always followed by ultrasounds and this past September my doctor suggested an MRI ...just for a baseline, as my 38 year old sister had been diagnosed two weeks earlier. Unfortunatley, my "baseline" MRI found my cancer, which was only 7 mm.
When I had my MRI they couldn't believe how many cysts I had in my breast and the size of them...the small ones were the size of golf balls!
So the MRI is a good thing!
0 -
Grace - I agree with all the ladies.
I went into my baseline mammogram with a very obvious protruding lump in my right breast. The mammogram never picked it up. My films looked like a snow storm because my breasts were so dense. Luckily they scheduled me for a diagnostic ultrasound as a backup and voila - it appeared!
The MRI's are a good thing because they can see so much more and also pick up on other things going on.
With all that said, they never really know what they are dealing with until you are lying on the operation table and they can peek inside. They thought I had a very large tumor and when they got in, to their surprise, I had 3 of them all lined up in a row (very common for ILC). The largest one was 3.5cm.
I too had a bilateral mastectomy. ILS is the type of cancer that can come back in the other breast and I knew I did not want to go down this road again. I was not all that attached to my breasts in the first place. God gave them to me to feed my children and I was all done doing that.
Like Spring - I have zero regrets and am very very pleased with my new cohesive gel implants!
0 -
Grace61-THe MRI wasn't a big deal. I just hate that they can never find a vein in my arm.I always warn them I have small veins and suggest to them to put the IV in my hand. But every person thinks they're better than the last...
I got to listen to nice music while lying on the table.
I also got to see the MRI images on the radiologists computer. It showed the "hot spots".
I have got a mammogram every year for 9 years. None showed I had cancer. I even got an ultrasound in 2007. I insisted on the ultrasound because I had a swollen lymph node. This didn't show I had cancer.
But this April after they took a mammogram they wanted to do an ultrasound. From there it was a biopsy-that kind of sucked. The biopsy determined I had cancer. Then I got the MRI.
My tumor size is 5.9 cm-large. It takes 6-10 years to get that large. I ask why in the hell in all the ten years I've been getting mammograms couldn't they have found it?
ivorymom-I wasn't aware that MRI's were prone to more false positives. Thanks for the info. I am beginning to waffle on how accurate my biopsy results were.They took 5-7 biopsies. And the result was Lobular Infiltrating Carcinoma, but I don't know if that is from one sample or all 5-7 of the samples.
0 -
The problems with mammos reading dense breasts is another reason I have switched to thermographs. They look at the vascular structure, which show if a tumor is being fed. They are safe and cheap too.
I finally met with my hormone doctor. I definitely have thyroid issues, however she said that there is a lot of controversy about how much iodine and/or amour one needs to supplement. But I am going to add iodine after I talk to the Dr from bcaction. Anom, do you have that number handy?
She also spent a lot of time explaining hormones to me, but it is so technical that I could never tell you. I do like the fact that she is being causious about any BHRT. She wants to see if my estrogen metabolite numbers can improve more with supplements first, I need about add 3-5 mg of DHEA, betane and b complex, and more magnesium. My estrogen levels are pretty low, which I am sure is because of my diet so I think the emphasis will be on getting my thyroid numbers up. I really learned a lot from her. I cannot stress how important I think it is for all of us to find a doctor who really specializes in hormone therapy, who can run the tests, and knows how to interpret the results. I know they are hard to find, but just taking a pill like tamox, is not the solution. We all have different body chemistry and unless we understand it, how do we know we are doing everything right? My biggest complaint from my onc, is that she was pushing me to arimidex, with the one size fits all mentality. We do not all need to have all of estrogen blocked. We need to have our system balanced.
Makingway-those sound like really good books. I will add them to my list. Dr. Mercola is from the Chicago area and one of the sponsors of the HealthFreedomExpo. He has a great website that has lots of great info, mercola.com Check it out!
Deanna-you are so right about how wierd it feels without my kitty. I have dark floors, and she was dark and I always had to be careful I did not step on her. I still keep looking down for her. I also forget to prepare less food for my other cats (2 left now). And my husband got a pizza this weekend. My kitty would beg for the sausage, and it was so wierd not to hear her the minute he walked in the door with pizza. She use to come running! Yes, I miss my little girl.
0
