natural girls
Comments
-
My bladder has a 2 cup capacity. When I add the third cup of liquid for the day the peeing begins LOL. And strangly enough the closer I get to the bathroom the more urgent the need...Don't know how to explain that one except mental LOL
0 -
Soprano,
The reason for juicing is to get more nutrients in us. Cooking veggies loses nutrients, not all vegetables, some need to be heated up to release nutrients, such as spinach. But spinach has other nutrients released through juicing too. We just can't get the same nutrients and enzymes by taking vitamin pills. The recommendation is to eat 5 servings a day of vegetables. I couldn't do it if I had to cook them. I can juice that many without thinking, but I can't cook and eat that much.
Yesterday, I drank a beet, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, spinach and ginger. Full servings of all of them which was quite a bit. Then I ate fruit.
0 -
ddlatt - I had all my nodes removed from my right pit.(I sure do miss them!!!) I had what my surgeon said "one small focus" in a sentinel nodes so he removed all of my nodes. The rest were clear. I am having swelling in my hand in the am. I will be making an appt. with a specialist today. Your mast. picture is truly an inspiration. You look amazing!!!!!!
amberyba - Thanks for the suggestions. They were very helpful
.soprano - I am also very confused about the juicing. Maybe the girls will explain it or give us some reading material. I would also love to know what is a good, medium price juicer? I looked them up and I am totally confused about all of them.
God Bless Us All
0 -
Hi, Courtney ~ Welcome! I haven't read that book, but I saw the trailer you'd posted elsewhere that provoked such a "lively" discussion. Can you repost that trailer link here? I thought the film looked very interesting, and I'm sure others here would like to know about it.
Merilee ~ Sounds like a Pavlovian response! My DH says if he jingles the car keys, I have to go!
Deborah/ddlatt ~ I've told you elsewhere, but your photos are so incredibly powerful, I want to be sure others don't miss them. Deanna
0 -
The juicer I saw yesterday that I was thinking about..I spent a little more time checking it out. The auger which is the masticating blade is made from material that I don't think would be safe if it began leeching. The materials in that could cause severe kidney disease amongst other diseases. Back to the drawing boards. G.E. makes the materials used for the auger, that alone tells us something and the FDA approved those materials for our ingestion. RIGHT.
0 -
Soprano and Seaotter, JUicing is a way to get vital nutrients to your body cells more effectively. Easier to digest....many have used juicing to promote healing
google benefits of juicing etc and you will find good info, below is a website you can click from here:
http://www.energiseforlife.com/juicing.php
when I am ill and or wanting to improve my health i like to juice fresh fruits and vegetables!
0 -
I've been away for awhile, but caught up quite a bit today. Many of you asked about protein sources for those that are going primarily plant-based. My two favorites are: 1. Quinoa. It has a very nutty taste and when cooked, the consistency of tiny bits of pasta....well, almost! I eat it warm, with herbs and veggies, or have it cold, added to my salads); and 2. Nutritional Yeast Flakes. I resisted adding this to my diet for so long, but after about 2-3 weeks on a vegan diet (80% or more raw), I began to feel fatigued. I knew I needed to add B vitamins and protein, so I bought the yeast flakes and was pleasantly surprised....they almost have a buttery taste to them (and yes, they look just like gold fish flakes you'd spinkle into the Koi Pond!). I sprinkle them on salads, steamed sweet potatoes, etc. or sometimes even just take a spoonful of them if I need a quick boost. Don't buy Brewer's Yeast Flakes or Yeast Powders. I'm sure there are many online sources (I think Red Star is a favored brand), but I get mine locally. If any of you have a Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers in your area, they carry them in bulk (and they're cheap). Vitamin Cottage is my absolute favorite. I buy almost all of my groceries there....all organic produce, a huge bulk foods section and a great, hometown feel. Google them to find their locations (they also have an online store, but primarily for vitamins).
Any of you out there that are ER+/PR+/HER2- that refused radiation, chemo and tamoxifen? I finally gave in to a lumpectomy (no Sentinal Node Biopsy) and have no regrets with that. My ONCO DX score was low (14), so my surgeon said chemo wasn't even an issue. But, I met with the oncologist for the first time yesterday and she said I absolutely need to go back for Sentinal Node Biopsy and if positive, that would trump the Onco score (all other indications, including post-surgery pathology report, indicated no lymph involvement). I am terrified of the remaining "standard of care" choices. After reading here, I will investigate DIM....can any of you suggest a preferred source to buy it? I've been on my vegetarian/raw foods diet, Budwig (flax oil/cottage cheese, etc.) since 3/6 and feel like a million bucks (and have lost 21 pounds). I sure like the thought of boosting my immune system with natural methods vs. what the medical community is offerning.
0 -
MBrowning-you may want to read back a few pages where there was discussion on the SNB. You may want to rethink not having that--it really does provide critical information about chances of the cancer spreading beyond the breast and is not that bad of a procedure, although most people have it done when they have their surgery. After gaining that info, you can still make choices about what treatments you feel comfortable with, but you will have much more information on which to make good decisions...
0 -
mbrowning, i agree with allieM22. the info you will obtain from the SNB is crucial and will let you know if the cancer has spread through your lymph nodes. i was also terrified of "standard of care" treatment, but i felt like i had no choice based on my family history (mother and grandmother died of breast cancer which spread to the bone) and the fact that i am triple negative and had grade 3 cancer. i never thought i'd say this, but it's true for me--the chemo and radiation have not been that bad, and i had very aggressive treatment--AC/T and am having 35 radiation treatments (because the tumor was 1mm from the chest wall and surgeon could not get 2mm clear margins). i was really petrified before it all started and expected the worst, plus i was very skeptical of conventional medicine. but i'm glad i did it.
0 -
mbrowning, I agree with alliem22 and ddlatt - the info from the SNB is very important, I am all for alternative/complimentary treatments, but it never crossed my mind to not have the surgery or SNB. Try www.bioresponse.com for the DIM, this is the one they use in the clinical trials.
0 -
Hi Fairy. Do you think the DIM from bio is better, more effective than the Nature's Way DIM? The bio stuff is a lot more expensive. At this rate I'm going to have to get another job just to pay for all this stuff I'm taking lol.
0 -
Mbrowning
I am Er/pr+ and Her- and I did not do chemo, radiation and now I have quit Tamoxifen after 3 months and am using only natural methods. No regrets so far.
0 -
Might I suggest before buying any product you look at the fact sheet to see if there are ingredients you might not want to be taking lurking in that pill.
I'm so annoyed at myself, I purchased a liquid calcium product that looked so good that I didn't read to the bottom of the listed ingredients. I couldn't have read it. I bought 4 bottles. Long story short, last night I discover they use sucralose as a sweetner. Sucralose causes bones to lose calcium. There shouldn't be any kind of sugar in vitamins, minerals. Ahhh, I just give up. I'm so tired of reading labels.
0 -
Thanks Rosemary! That makes sense.
0 -
Something interesting:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080145.htm
"For us, this confirms that the immune system plays a fundamental role in breast cancer prognosis, and its importance..."
I hope this line of thinking will continue to get attention. Deanna
0 -
Hi Ladies...the information may very well be somewhere in this thread, however, I have not been able to find it..doesn't mean it's not there though. So my question is - I have been on Arimidex now for 3 months and am curious if there are any natural solutions to suppressing/reducing my estrogen levels. I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies (organic only), eggs occasionally(organic only), fish occasionally (organic when I can find it). Thanks for your help. Great thread!
0 -
Rosemary - I know what you mean about reading all those ingredients. I think I will need new glasses soon! I just bought some liquid calcium. It has mag.citrate in it also. You can check it out at litetimevitamins.com. Let me know if it has something in it that we should not be taking lol!!!!
Purple - I am supposed to be taking Arimidex but have chosen not to. You can google these items and see what ya think: DIM, calcium d-glucarate, iodoral, vit d, calcium, anti-oxidants. These might help get you started. I try to go organic also. Good luck!
God Bless Us All
0 -
Thanks seaotter...much appreciated!
0 -
Thanks for all your replies, much food for thought.
Deanna~ I loved the references to the many articles on the immune system. The one entitled, "Retraining immune cells to kill cancer cells" was of particular interest to me. I have been taking Beta-1, 3D Glucan (by Transfer Point) since March and it does exactly what this article is talking about....you can Google it and find alot of compelling research done by top medical schools that point to it's effectiveness. There are many brands, but Transfer Point seems to be the one that has been tested and proven.
I had my first appt. with the oncologist on Monday and it did not go very well. We are on very different pages. I talked about building my immune system vs. attacking it with conventional treatments. She, of course, supports what she knows to be the standard care of treatment, and I respect her for that. I asked for various testing to be done to determine what my cancer activity is at this point (post surgery); she said there is nothing. This did not sit well with me. I asked her how, after treating her patients with conventional methods, she could determine that they were in remission or "cancer-free"? I assumed surely there is some test (blood, markers, etc); she said, "no, she does a clinicial exam and listens to the patient....the patient knows when they have cancer". I begged to differ, because prior to my DX, I was feeling better than I had in awhile (was eager to get my blood results back after my physical exam in January). I cannot believe that as much money and research that has been poured into cancer, that monitorning progress is as simple as the patient reporting the presence or lack of any pain, etc. That's why, at this point, I'm choosing to build my immune system (and hopefully lower my estrogen levels). All I want is for the medical community to show me what my cancer levels are. If they are active to the point that I truly need chemo, radiation, hormone therapy, then I'll be more comfortable taking those treatments. Otherwise, I truly think we are an over-medicated, over-treated society. There has got to be a way to monitor this stuff. I'm ordering the 2:16 test that Fairy uses and I will seek out other doctors that can monitor blood tests that indicate cancer cell activity, etc. For anyone taking traditional treatments, it is not my intent to offend.....my approach is simply self-based. I have to do what is right for me. We've all struggled with treatment choices and unfortunately there's no way of knowing if we're making the right one, but I do believe our bodies put out clear signals. Mine is just telling me to be sure that I absolutely NEED the treatments before I get them. Peace and Plenty to All!
0 -
Purple - LOVE your picture! I really enjoyed being bald although I would not want it forever. I'm just now beginning to sprout some hair so going without my hats is not an option anymore!!!!! How did you do with the rads??? I still am very leery of doing that.
0 -
MBrowning-Welcome to the club. I too felt the same frustration, hence I chose to take the natural path. After I dropped my onc, I found a chiro to help me with nutrition. SHE is the one who directed me towards I3C, thermography, and vit D, etc. that got me to thinking that there is a better way. She is the one who took my blood to determine exactly what my estrogen levels were before "prescribing" any drug. I have had followups that show, my estrogen and cortisol levels have dropped significantly due to a nutritious diet and exercise(daily) and supplements such as VitD and I3C. I was a bit disappointed in my 2:16 ratio, so I am switching to myocine instead of the I3C after my compounding phamacist told me that sometimes menopausal women metabolize this better. I am also taking more maganisium and adding digestive enzymes which will hopefully help to metabolize everything. What I hope you and Purple Me will do is keep researching these things, and the importance of iodine and find a doctor whom you feel is on the same page who can do tests so that you can see what your specific needs are, and more importantly, if the things you are doing is actually making a difference. This is not one size fits all. That is one of the reasons I opted out of arimidex. It seems to be that everyone gets the same dose, no matter what size we are, and they even measure our estrogen levels to start out, just go ahead and push us into it. I also did not want to take any drug that would age me prematurely, which it does, because it inhibits all estrogen, the good and the bad, which is what causes us to age. It is bad enough that I will feel old when I am old. I am not ready to go there yet. And all the things that I have done have actually helped me to feel younger. It is all about balancing our systems, not throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
0 -
This is interesting and ties in with a comment Dr Larry Norton made on the video that someone posted a few pages back on stimulating the immune system (the Sloan-Kettering one):
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611183015.htm
I believe the article is saying they are making strides with tracking immune system cells in bc and may have drugs that can arrest tumor development. However it also says that stimulating the immune system can possibly promote tumor growth--which of course is scary.
The researchers show further a second important aspect: Immune responses can both - either induce tumor dormancy or, unexpectedly, tumor growth. In the absence of either interferon or tumor necrosis factor the immune response converts the from a protective into a tumor promoting immune response.
Dr Norton's comment when someone asked him about supplements was that he recommended people take vitamin D since they have seen a tie in to bc patients with low vit D levels (not knowing if it is a cause or a reaction to it) but that he did not recommend non-specific stimulation of the immune system. I will have to see if I can find anything more on that...
0 -
MBrowning ~ I'm guessing that the size and grade of your bc (if your Oncotype score was 14) are small enough and low enough that you feel reasonably save foregoing a SNB. On the other hand, I'm surprised that they even did an OncotypeDX test for you without knowing for sure if your sentinel node was clear. I wouldn't think insurance would cover its cost if some of the input data for you is based on an assumption. And thanks for sharing about Nutritional Yeast Flakes. I'll have to read up on those. Also, if you have any quinoa recipes to share, I could sure use a few.
PurpleMe ~ Welcome! I'm one of the ladies here who has ditched Femara in favor of a natural route, after one very scary episode of suddenly passing out while I was briefly on Femara. As vivre said, it's a very individual path because each of our bodies is so individual. And it's imperative to find a medical professional to test and monitor you, to be sure you're achieving the low estrogen and other hormone and nutrient levels we need to be healthy. Luckily, my PCP is very in tune with a lot of this, and she has been great at doing extensive bloodwork and helping me add the right supplements for my needs. And, like vivre, not only was I concerned about the aging issue, but my DH was noticeably concerned about it -- probably more so than he was about my mast -- because he saw how horrible I felt on Femara. Are you having problems with Arimidex, or just concerned about robbing your body of any estrogen? Deanna
0 -
Hey seaotter...my hair is now more GI Jane length..must get a new pic taken... Anyhoo, I didn't do to badly with the rads compared to some of the women I have been following. About week 6 is when my skin started to break down - collar bone area, under the boob and just on the outside (closest side to my boob) of my underarm. The collar bone and the under the boob area didn't bother me as much as the underarm area probably because that area seemed to rub more. It took about 3 weeks to totally heal up. Now, I do know that some women experience NO skin breakdown at all...lucky ladies.
Deanna...I am finding that I am constantly fatigued..doesn't seem to matter if I sleep well or not I still find I am very tired. Had a bit of bone pain - mainly in my wrists but that seems to have disappeared. The libido has gone down the toilet. So I need to have a very frank conversation with my oncologist. Need to do a bit more research before my appointment.
0 -
Deanna~ In time, I may rethink the SNB....after-all, they'll still be there if I decide to go that route. It's just that for me, for now, whether nodes are negative or positive, it would not change my course. I'm still not resigned to chemo/radiation/tamoxifen. All other diagnostics (MRI, ultrasound, tumor pathology) indicated no lymphovascular involvement...I do realize these are not definitive, but good enough for me for the time being. It would not surprise me to know that at some point there are some cancer cells in the lymph nodes....to me, that means they're doing what they're supposed to be doing (filtering the gunk), but not necessarily that those cells have been or will be deposited to other areas of my body as mets. I know I probably sound nutty to most of you, but this is what is making sense to me and bringing me some peace. I know it's a gamble, but every decision we make in fighting cancer comes with some risk. Obviously, I have some reservations about my choices, or I wouldn't be here seeking advice. I truly appreciate all the comments and replies, whether or not they align with my way of thinking or not. Gosh, am I the only girl who's opted out of SNB?
I wish I had some good recipes for quinoa, but I'm pretty plain-jane at this point. Cook it, sprinkle it with some herbs or add some veggies (especially sauteed garlic and green onions), then add some of that really hot pepper sauce like what they serve in Chinese restaurants!
0 -
Vivre, I so much agree with you and Deanna on the estrogen and aging issue, which is why I would never, ever agree to take an aromatase inhibitor. I'm willing to stay on the tamoxifen until I find enough reason to get off of it. It's been 7 months now, and joint pain, hot flashes, and orgasmic difficulties are the most distressing symptoms, but I had all these with my perimenopausal symptoms even before breast cancer was diagnosed, although to a lesser extent. But back then, I was able to take soy and herbal supplements, which were a great help for all the above problems, but now I've read that soy supplements are to be avoided and many of the herbs that help are considered estrogenic. Darn, this has been the worst part of the whole breast cancer ordeal for me, not being able to take what makes everything feel better. It's also confusing because as much as I read bad things about soy and some of the herbs, I'm also reading that they are protective against breast cancer, because they replace the bad estrogens. I've read more good than bad about flax however, so this is a regular part of my diet, as well as some soy foods, not pills. And I believe these are keeping my skin and hair in good shape, as well as preventing vaginal dryness, which used to be a problem a few months ago.
Lately, I'm finding that my memory seems to be failing me a lot, especially with retrieving words and names of people and things, so I'm wondering, is it the tamoxifen doing this? I'm also looking constantly at my skin and hair for more signs of aging. Everybody around me reassures me that I look the same, but I keep thinking that my skin might be getting more saggy and my hair sprouting more grays than ever before. I am 48 however, so am I just dreading the inevitable aging that has to at some point start to catch up with me whether I take tamoxifen or not?
0 -
rgiuff - I totally understand your feelings. I was on tam for 2 weeks and could not take it anymore. I was on HRT for 11 years and felt wonderful and young (I'm 54). Then boom bc and no more HRT. I just could not imagine 5 years of feeling that bad (and I was only taking 10mg!!!). Now my docs. want me on arimidex. That doesn't sound to pretty either. So I'm trying the dim and other supplements. I guess quality of life for me is better than quantity. I have a 17 year old daughter that I want to enjoy. That 2 weeks on tam I was a raving bitch (sorry only word that describes it). My daughter and I fought constantly and my hubbly too! I don't want that for them or me.
God Bless Us All
0 -
Seaotter,
I went over to check out your liquid calcium and I couldn't find a fact sheet for it. I can't even find the dosage. Usually the liquids have sugar. I have seen fructose, and now sucralose on my latest, greatest find.
Anyway, I'm going to make my own pills. I have powdered citrate, and I'm going to put it in a pill casing and that's that. If you can post the fact sheet, or type out what's on the bottle, I'll be happy to help.
0 -
Rosemary- thanks so much. Here it is.
Other IngredientsSupplement Facts Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon (15 cc) Servings per Bottle: 32 Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 15 Total Carbohydrates 4 g 1 % Sugar (fructose) 1 g ** Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol) 200 IU 50 % Calcium (from citrate elemental) 750 mg 75 % Magnesium (from citrate elemental) 300 mg 75 % * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. ** Daily Value not established.
Purified Water, Fructose, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum and Carrageenan Gum.
Contains no wheat, soy, gluten, milk, egg, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring or preservatives.
0 -
Rosemary- I tried to copy and paste but it did not work
Here are the ingredients.total carbs: 4g
sugar (ugh) 1g (I don't know if that is a lot or not)
vit d3: 200iu as cholecalciferol
magnesium: 300 mg from citrate elemental
calcium: 750 mg from citrate elemental
other ingredients: purified water, fructose (ugh) natural flavors, citric acid, xanthan gum, and carrageenan gum (those gums don't sound good) lol
contains no wheat, soy, gluten, milk, egg, artificial coloring, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring or presevatives
whew!!!!
Thanks I would love your input
0
