natural girls
Comments
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Saw my oncologist today and told him that after 2.5 years on tamoxifen, I'm contemplating taking a break from it. He said "I have a better idea. Let's switch you over to aromotase inhibitors". I told him, as I've told him before, that I don't like the idea of depleting my body of all estrogen. His reply was that whatever estrogen I'm making postmenopausally is insignificant and really not doing me any good, it's not helping my skin, hair, bones, etc... It's just going straight to my fat cells in my breasts. When I asked why most women on these AIs are complaining about joint and bone pain and dry vaginas and skin, he said he gets the same complaints from women on tamoxifen, not really much difference. He wants to test my hormone levels first to see if I'm truly postmenopausal, which I think I probably am. So I don't have to argue with him about it until the next visit, in 3 months.
But I don't want to take AIs. Any ideas on what ammunition I could use to sway him or to consider my viewpoint?
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Great posts;) I wanted to comment on Pip57's concern about the purity of OTC supplements. I had the same concern so I now see a Naturalpathic Dr. That orders all of mine. They are pure pharmacuetical grades. Well worth it ;D
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Rgiuff-
Look into Myomin, it's a nutural Aromatase inhibitor used in China for a guzzilion years. Very effective, no SE's. I am starting at the end of this month.
Peace Corian
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Hey Corian, how you,re doing girl ? Did u get over the caffeine hump
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Rose-Ask you onc if he would take a drug that took away all his testosterone and made him feel like crap. Then do as much research as you can. You can start with Dr. Epsteins info about tamox. He is the founder of the cancer prevention coalition, and he has quite a lot to say about the safety of these drugs. He maintains that cancer is not caused by hormones. After all, women did not have as much cancer 25 years ago as they do today, yet they still had hormones. Cancer is caused by our environment. That is why our diets and lifestyle choices are so important. It is good that he is finally going to check your hormone levels. I lowered mine with diet and exercise. I do not even use myomin anymore because of the side effects (I got really dry eyes and blurry vision). Just eat more brussel sprouts and broccoli. It has the same effect.
Here is an article I found interesting:
http://www.naturalnews.com/032577_genetic_testing_disease.html
Mike Adams maintains that disease is not hereditary. This is something I have believed all alongs, since there is NO breast cancer in my family history. In fact, all the smokers and drinkers in my family mostly died of heart issues, and I never smoked, and seldom drank. I did give up my sugar addition but I believe my bc was a result to a combo of things environemental, exposure to chlorine both as a swimmer when I was growing up and to and OD of it while cleaning my shower.I also contribute bc to my root canal and all the toxins from mercury fillings, flouride in my water,etc. That is why I feel it is important to continue to detox all this junk out and clean up my mouth. I now have one side done. I removed the root canal, and it is taking months to get rid of the bacteria. I still have horrible morning breath, but the past couple of days it seems to finally be getting better since I had another mercury amalgam replaced last week and have been oil pulling, per my dentist's recommendation.
It makes me so mad that I had to pay a dentist to put this stuff in my mouth, now I have to pay even more to get it removed. It is not cheap!
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For the ladies taking B12.....
What dosage do you take?
We recently ran out and DH bought some more. This new one says 1,000mcgs while the previous one was 250 mcgs. That's a big difference...
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painterly, for some reason, all the b12 supplements I found were megadoses, like 250% to 1000% daily value. A nutritionist told me to be careful about mega-doses of any supplement so I skipped those mega pills. My multi has a little b12 (and I'm cheating, I added a bit of fish and a little meat back into my veggie diet) Does this help? (probably not... ;(0
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Hey Luan! No more headaches but I am definitely moving in slow motion these days! Lol! 8 more days.....triple espresso here I come!!!
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Vivre
Great info! I completely agree with environmental toxins contributing to cancers. We hear everyday about " cancer genes" and if you have these you're probably doomed. But we do not hear about our " suppressor genes" like P53 that we all have & and are often mutated because of diet & toxic exposure. At any given time we all have cancer cells in our bodies, genes like P53 & NK ( natural killer cells) that go after them and destroy them. But if they are mutated and damaged they can't.
We also are not told that we can boost these " fighters" with nutrients like Selenium & Coriolus.
The great thing is the info is out there, we just have to be proactive;)
BTW- was anyone else aware of Myriad Genectics owning the BRCA Genes? They patented the gene. No one can do any testing on the gene because they own it! Does not seem right.....sounds creepy really!0 -
I posted something on the "Stop Sugar" thread similar to what Vivre said about toxin exposure, and the thread stopped dead in its tracks. I'm wondering if I said the wrong thing....
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I don't think you said anything wrong. They are probably on sugar highs. LOL
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I'm a thread stopper cause I'm such a smart aleck sometimes.. I'll apologize ahead of time. (I'm sorry).
Anyway,, I am extremely fatigued being on two major meds .. I am 'lobbying' to reduce them unsuccessfully.. Any energy tips? I am not too much of supplement taker, preferring to ingest my nutrients when I eat, but I am open to suggestions since I seem to want to nap all the time.
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Speaking of environmental toxins causing cancer, have any of you considered the idea of a class action suit? There are so many of us, that I am sure a high quality attorney would pick up the chance to earn a nice fee based on a percentige our winnings.
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Merilee ~ I am so convinced that I would not have developed bc had it not been for the HRT I was on for 15 years, I actually called and spoke to someone at the PA law firm that has successfully litigated some of the largest HRT settlements, and I was disappointed to find out that they weren't interested in my case because (1) my Stage 2 dx wasn't serious enough (you just about need to be Stage IV); and (2) there's no chance of winning a case if you have any family hx of bc because evidently that risk supercedes anything else. In addition, it had been a year between my dx (when I stopped HRT) and my inquiry, and I was shocked to learn the statute of limitations had expired. They were interested, sympathetic and wholeheartedly agreed the HRT played a role in my dx. But there was nothing they could do. And without substantial proof that a specific toxin causes bc, I just don't think you'd find an interested attorney. But it's a great idea! Deanna
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I too have thought of this.....doctors & big pharma need to be accountable! But it doesn't seem like anything happens til someone dies? I was prescribed birth control pills for endometriosis off & on for nearly 20 years. Only breaking 4 x's a year for a period. After doing my research ( a little too late) I am convinced that the pills & the pesticides I've eaten has given me BC. I had children young, breast fed all 3. Don't smoke or drink, ate pretty healthy ( except not much organic) maintained low body fat and bam at 42 got BC.there is just so much BS in the health care system, it makes me very frustrated to say the least! Err!
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We need a mean attorney who's family member has been touched or better yet some one who has suffered like us herself. Last year a local store Meijer got into trouble when several of the employees had to go to the hospital, Their job was to spray extra preservative on the fruits and veggies in the warehouse before they were sent to the stores. Who oversees such things? There must be someone who is supposed to monitor such things and more.
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That's terrible! Well probably like most giants like big pharma....they are self governing. Big corporations make it impossible to intervene. The media is an option. I think if it's a good enough story they would investigate.
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I agree with everyone, I think my BC was caused by environmental toxins. A lawsuit? I'm not sure where to begin, esp since most of these chemicals aren't regulated or illegal. Dammit. Our gov isn't looking out for us. FWIW, it's not as fun or dramatic as a lawsuit but the Breast Cancer Fund is trying to reduce environmental causes. They're on the anti-BPA bandwagon right now, trying to pressure companies to package their canned foods with BPA-free liners; they've worked to pass some state-wide laws to eliminate BPA in kids' stuff, like toys. It's not sexy, I know.
corian68, I'm shocked that a company can "owe" a gene. That's outrageous. We should sue over that.
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Peggy
I was dumbfounded! There is a lawsuit & I predict their rights to own a gene will be revoked soon. A professor at Duke was doing some research on BRCA, he recieved a call from Myriad instructing him to stop or he and the University will be sued. Sadly many universities have received the same threat.0 -
corian68, that's even more outrageous (that they stopped his research). Man, our system is whacked. arg!
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Here's the latest info' I could find on the Myriad BRCA Gene thing. Thanks for making us aware of this, corian68! It's really quite unbelievable!
www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/content.asp? CATID=0&L2=2&L3=6&L4=0&PID=&sid=130&cid=1932
(Sorry, but my computer is having major issues and I can't seem to cut & paste a link. If cutting and pasting the above doesn't work, just search for Susan Love Research Foundation, and then for BRCA Gene Patent.)
This may be the first time I've ever appreciated the ACLU's involvement in something. Deanna
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I still have the feeling that my BC dx was caused by the 14 years of birth control pills I took. When the lists for the mainstream get published on "What to Avoid So You Don't Get Cancer", HRT is always mentioned, but NEVER mentioned is birth control pills. I honestly think this is because of the social ramifications that birth control holds for women. If women were to stop taking birth control en masse, we'd face higher birth rates, less job stability, yada yada yada.
It's sort of like the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about!!!
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In one of the packets of info I got after being diagnosed. OCP is a risk factor. I never thought about it. I was on the pill for years. I was shocked when I read this. I don't think I had ever read it prior to my dx.
I struggle with the idea that it's ALL environmental. I think there are predispositions for all kinds of illness. There are women that have been vegan/raw/organic for years and years, and they still got BC.
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While commuting to work this morning I heard something about Bill Control pills and the elevated risk for blood clots and certain types of cancer on WTOP (local news in my area).
I took BC pills for an extended time during my 20s. The things I know now I will definitely sharing with my daughter.
Like you all I truly think it more than luck that we are meeting like this!
Well wishes and hugs!
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Deanna: Wished I had know about the 1 year statute of limitations. My dr. was negligent and out and out lied as to what she was giving me. I was also on BC Pills for years on and off for hormonal imbalances which, if this dr. bothered to look at my chart, shouldn't have been prescribing what she did. I think ultimately individual states and local government need to begin passing laws that protect the people because large corporations & our federal government work hand in hand to promote profit over people.
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MariannaHB, I've heard that Birth Control pills are a risk for BC, esp. taking them when you're young and/or longer than 5 years (and if you go off them, after X number of years (5?), the added risk is gone). I took the very lowest of the low dose BC pill for about 8 yrs. Last year (pre DX) I asked my PCP and she said, "no no, no risk. Besides it's such a low dose." Then I got Dx'd and first thing she said, "stop taking those pills." Then, a couple weeks ago I read that birth control pills increase the likelihood of getting ER- BC. Huh? This doesn't make sense to me, but then again, I'm feeling maxed out on BC research, and since there are no b-c pills in my future, I didn't look into it anymore, but FYI. If you google around (I used 'birth control breast cancer ER-") you'll see there is some correlation. arg!0
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Yes, absolutely a correlation in the scientific journals. I took them cluelessly for over 10 years...grrr....they didn't have scientific evidence then - at least not for the general public
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Birth control pills ARE a form of HRT. That is why there is a link. My step mother died of cervical cancer when she was only 36. It has since been proven that women who smoke are warned not to take the pill because of the high number of cancer among smokers using the pill. AND, taking any hrt could also be considered an environmental cause of cancer, since it involves putting chemicals in the body.
These are the kind of issues we all need to educate younger women about, since they are not learning them from the media.
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I feel the same way about educating young women about the risks associated with BCP's. I always thought I was an educated patient, wrong. Now it is a completely different story, I leave no stone unturned! If something doesn't make sense to me......I read about it until it does! All of you are so valuable to me! Your insight, your experience, your questions that I haven't thought of asking? that's why I come to these boards. Many have tried to challenge me & that's ok;) when they try to prove me wrong, that's ok too....I am not here to fight. Even when they ( she) lol! whips out studies....and I also have studies in my library of cancer BS...I will not go there because stress is just as bad for cancer risks as the toxins we have discussed.
In short....I value all you strong ass women very much!0 -
Scandinavian researchers have found there Is an increase in BC in a group of women currently taking BCP's or have recently taken them. Longer the use, greater the risk. All I know is I am not taking them anymore. A few years ago I switched to Yaz, then out of the blue I started having Kidney issues.....now there is a class action law suit regarding kidney damage. Just because the FDA recommends & says it safe....doesn't mean there aren't tremendous health risks when consuming the drug.
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