natural girls

hlth4513

Merilee-

Sending prayers your way. You are up awfully early this morning!

Beth

my560sel

Merilee - Prayers and positive light coming your way...

Patty: Thanks for the laugh

PS73

All good thoughts to you Merilee - wow tx 4, you are on your way to being done with chemo!

Patty -too funny!! 

seaotter

You have mine Merilee .

Love ya, Patty

dlb823

You're doing so great, Merilee!  Almost over!  Thinking of you...  Deanna

fairy49

Merilee! cyber hugs and prayers coming your way sister!

PS73

 Researchers back cancer-fighting properties of papaya

Researchers said Tuesday that papaya leaf extract and its tea have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumors... papaya's anticancer effect against tumors of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.  The researchers used an extract made from dried papaya leaves, and the effects were stronger when cells received larger doses of papaya leaf tea.Dang and the other scientists showed that papaya leaf extract boosts the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines, which help regulate the immune system.

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9419&Section=Disease&source=DHB_010311&key=Body+ContinueReading

ananda8

Turmeric    ---   Anti-inflammatory

Aspirin        ---   Anti-inflammatory

Bromelain  ---  Anti-inflammatory

Papaya      ---  Anti-inflammatory

Omega 3  ---  Anti-inflammatory

I think I see a pattern here.

Merilee

You can add

Nori

Citurs

Ginger

Rosemary

makingway

Merilee- You're in my thoughts

These researchers should be coming here and picking our brains! With all of our combined knowledge, a researcher might discover, and develop some all encompassing, life saving strategies. 

hlth4513

How did it go Merilee?

Beth

Merilee

#4 was uneventful and so far I am still feeling fine.

PS73

Glad its almost over Merilee! 

additional news on chocolate and wine 

Red wine and dark chocolate cancer killers:

Red grapes and dark chocolate join blueberries, garlic, soy, and teas as ingredients that starve cancer while feeding bodies, Angiogenesis Foundation head William Li said at a prestigious TED Conference. "We are rating foods based on their cancer-fighting qualities," Li said. "What we eat is really our chemotherapy three times a day." About a dozen drugs are already in use to deprive tumors of blood supplies in a treatment tactic called "anti-angiogenesis.

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9425&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_100312&key=Body+ContinueReading

PS73

more anti-inflammatory info for those of us who don't want to take aspirin daily.

Researchers suggest cherries anti-inflammation power is attributed to antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, which also give cherries their bright red color. Michigan State University (MSU) National Food Safety & Toxicology Center, they set out to prove whether cherry juice was of benefit. They discovered anthocyanins in tart cherries give ten times the anti-inflammatory relief of aspirin.

Merilee

Any body try the Derma-e skin care products? I sent off for a sample pack and so far I really like them. No parabens, all natural ingredients.

vivre

Merillee-How are you feeling? I hope you are getting more of this stuff behind you and charging forward. Does that skin care line include makeup? I only use coconut oil for a moisturizer nowadays, but I have not found a foundation yet that seems to stay on, and is pure. Also they are so friggin expensive. I refuse to pay almost 50 bucks for these natural foundations. That is more than I would spend on make up in a year. Yes, I admit, I would probably be a candidate for extreme makeover, but I just have never been into the whole looks thing. I guess that is why I never considered foobs or anything. I like not having to wear a bra anymore. I just wear an extra tshirt all winter. Granted I still have boobs, but one is only half of it's former self, and the other is back to my teenage size since losing weight, so I just do not care. Those winter sweaters cover it all up anyone. I do need to rethink my wardrobe for spring. If it ever gets here!

Our weekend seminars were wonderful. The doctors were great, and gave a lot of new information. I sure hope I can get this idea to spread. I hope that eventually, our website will generate donations that we can use for these educational seminars. But that is still a long way off. I am still trying to get the site going, and get all the information loaded up. I will be working hard on it this week, so I hope you will all check it out and start to join in. Check out our new blog about hellcare. I know some people still think this will be a good idea, but I posted a great link to a doctor's plan to fix health care which I feel is the best thing I have seen written. Let me know what you all think of it.

dlb823

So glad your seminar went well, vivre!  I thought about you, and wished I could have been there.  I hope you'll share some of what was covered here on this thread.  And can't wait to check out your blog.  Sounds very provocative!

I was just prowling around ScienceDaily this morning, and wanted to share a couple of articles.   (I apologize if anyone else has already posted these here or elsewhere, but they looked like newer news.)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100223131956.htm 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311151722.htm

I also wanted to mention that I made an app't. next week with the Integrative Specialist @ UCLA, mostly to get her input/fine tuning on the 15 or so supplements I now take.  I already have a lengthy list of questions, but if anyone has a particularly perplexing one they would like me to try to ask, let me know.    

Have a great week, everyone ~ Deanna

hlth4513

Deanna-

Thanks for the offer - I am betting I take every supplment you take and then a few extra for all of my "issues". These issues may already be on your list - but if you have the opportunity to ask -

I would be curious what they have to say about our liver/body handling so many supplements. I take milk thistle and I try to do as many food based supplements as possible. I have heard some suggest that we should take one day off a week from our supplements, or even one week a month. Do they have a thought on that?

I am also very interested in any information they give you on timing(is there a best time of day to take certain supplements) or which supplements should be taken together(i.e. curcumin and green tea are synergistic) or which should not be taken together. I do not know if you take Iodoral, but For example, at the Yahoo Iodine group someone was talking about not taking iodoral within a few hours of DIM/I3C, but when I asked Dr. Fletchas - he said there was no problem taking any other supplements at the same time as Iodoral.

Thanks so much, Deanna - Good Luck with your appointment!

Beth

hlth4513

vivre -

I thought of you several times this past weekend. I applaud you for all your efforts and dedication to helping us prevent this beast.

Can't wait to hear more!

Beth

dlb823

Beth ~ I smiled when I read your questions because they're all on my list -- liver cleansing, which supplements are ok/not okay to take with others & best time, and is there a benefit to taking breaks?  I also want to ask about mushroom extracts, resveratrol (neither of which I take), some of the "newer" natural aromotese inhibitors, mega doses (IVs) of C, BHRT, and grapefruit.  I've already had to fill out a 9 page questionnaire which included not only the supplements I take, but every ingredient in those supplements.  I gather she looks for contradictions and interactions among lesser ingredients, which is so typical of UCLA's extremely thorough approach, and what I find so reassuring about them.    Deanna

fairy49

Morning ladies!

Just have a little vent!! This morning a lady came into the office looking to do an event for Women Cancer Society (or something like that), anyhoo, she had just had a lumpectomy, benign thank goodness.......anyhoo she is with Hoag Hospital here in Orange County, so I chatted to her a bit, asked her if she is open alternatives, supplements, bio-identicals etc.....she said the doctors don't believe in any of that stuff, end of story!! and then she says oh my goodness don't you look fabulous!  I felt like banging my head against a wall!!

Vivre! I too thought of you this weekend, sounds like everything was wonderful!  I shall be over to your blog to check it all out!

Deanna! Good luck with your appointment! I think my question would be, is there certain times you should take certain supplements, i.e. do taking them all at once cancel out actions of the others, I get very confused on that! I take a bunch in the morning, then more at lunch at finally more in the evening, but I wonder if there are any specifics as to when to take them.

Merliee! I hope you are doing well!

L

ox

seaotter

Deanna - I just love science daily. Thanks for those links. Thanks for the opportunity to ask some questions.

.1.- I would like to know their opinion on just what we should be taking and how much, especially for our dx. I would love to be to scale down because of the expense.

 2 - Should we be doing some estriol as well as progesterone? 

3 - What do they think of natural aromatase inhibitors?

I should help pay for your visit with all these questions!!!!!!!

Love, Patty

seaotter

Deanna - I did not see your recent post.

vivre - I also thought about you this weekend. So sorry I could not make it .

Merilee - I have tried Derma-e. I loved it. I have not found it recently because our one and only health food store in town closed down. I hope you are feeling good!!

I finally watched the movie Food Inc. All I can say is

Lorraine - I think you look great also, lol

Love to all, Patty

dlb823

Lorraine & Patty ~  I've noted your questions, most of which were already on my list, too.  And, Lorraine, that is really funny about the woman from Hoag! 

I just finished watching what UCLA has posted from Dr. Servan-Schriber's recent talk.  Evidently, they had a technical problem with the recording for the main presentation, but they have his question and answer session up now, and it's well worth watching.  Almost every question is about things we've discussed here -- soy, dairy products, meat, resveratrol, Vitamin  D, juicing, GMOs, bottled water, cell phones, and much more.  He even gives thoughtful and amusing explanation of why most oncologists don't know or care about this stuff.  And he's charming, to boot!   I think it's well worth watching! 

http://www.simmsmanncenter.ucla.edu/information/video_pages/2009/2010v_ServanShreiber.asp

seaotter

Deanna - I just watched the video. What a cutie and so knowledgeable!!! Now I know I have to give up smoking pot but I can drink red wine, lol. Thanks for the link. He makes me wonder if I'm taking to many supplements, hmmmmmmm.

Patty

Merilee

http://www.dermae.net/cgi-bin/fccgi.exe?w3exec=dei.portal#

Her is a link to the derma-e stuff. I don't think they have make up, just skin care.

Raili

Hi everyone!  This is such an active thread, which is a WONDERFUL thread, but it means I have a hard time keeping up with it!  I always want to respond to EVERY post, and then there are so many posts I get overwhelmed and respond to NONE... oh dear.  So I am at least posting to say hi, and thanks for being here, and I will keep trying.

Can't wait to watch the Dr. S-S link, yay!

Supplements - I definitely need a system, because I'm too haphazard with it now!  I attempt to take:

- 6 Green Tea capsules per day OR 7, depending on which brand I re-fill with, OR a slightly decreased number of capsules depending on how many cups of green tea I drink that day.  The capsules make me nauseous if I don't take them with food.

- 20 mg melatonin (finally just ONE capsule - first I made the mistake of buying the bottle of 2mg pills and had to take 10 per night, which required drinking so much water just to swallow them all that I'd inevitably have to pee at 2 am, ha!)

- 2,000 IUs of Vit D, in oil form, which I keep next to my toothpaste and take whenever I happen to come across it during the day

- 4 Juice Plus capsules - it's supposed to be 2 red in the mornign and 2 green at night, but I always take 1 red 1 green every time so that if I skip a dose, I'm at least keeping the fruit/veg ratio balanced

- SOMETIMES a multivitamin, but my naturopath is on the fence about whether the overall benefits of the multivitamin are worth the potential negative effects of the small amount of red clover in it (I'm ER+)

- Mushrooms when I remember to refill the empty bottle, which I haven't done in a month or so

- 1 digestive enzyme capsule per meal, but they look so much like my green tea capsules that if I'm out for the day with a day's worth of supplements in a pill box, I forget which is green tea and which are digestive enzymes and sometimes end up reversing them

Theoretically, that's 19 capsules per day, plus the Vit D oil and 1 T of ground flax seeds in my food, and OMG, the continuous mishaps I keep having trying to keep up with it all makes me feel like my life is a comic strip!   ("Oh no, I just swallowed a green tea capsule instead of the digestive enzyme, so I'd better eat something before I get nauseous, but I haven't yet ground the flax seeds I meant to add to my yogurt-and-muesli because I was going to grind my coffee beans first, but I shouldn't be drinking my coffee yet because I have to drink 8 full oz. of water along with the JP capsules, aaahhhh!  Maybe I'm not ready to wake up yet and should get back in bed and try to return to that weird melatonin-induced dream!!")

- 

seaotter

Raili - You are toooo funny!! You will fit right in . Taking all these supplements can be very confusing to say the least!

To all you ladies taking melatonin: How do you do it???? If I take 2mg. I feel like I am drugged all the next day. I know it is important but if I took 20mg I would be in a coma not to mention the crazy dreams. I think I would become psycho! (more than I am already )

Thanks for the link Merilee!

Patty

Raili

Thanks, Patty.   For some odd reason, the melatonin doesn't affect me that strongly.  Even after I take the 20mg capsule, I'm still on the Internet for another 90 mins or so before going to bed... and I wake up fine after 7 to 9 hours.  So I don't know! 

Guess what!  I got my Oncotype score today - FIFTEEN!!!   I am sooooo thrilled I'm in the NO CHEMO category!!  WELL, I had been planning on refusing chemo no matter what my Oncotype score was, but I love having scientific proof that I don't need it!  I totally got off on the wrong foot with the onc when I came to my first appt accidentally wearing the "Tree-hugging Dirt Worshipper" T-shirt I forgot to take off after yoga class.  So now I have a "valid" reason for not taking chemo, and am not JUST "that hippie freak who's being difficult."

toolie

Hi Ladies i am new here but have been looking at and getting great info from all of you for a while now.  I need some advice.  My onc has been testing my d levels which were very low at first in the low 20's anyway i ahave been trying to get them up my onc gave me a script to take 1x per week for 4 weeks i think 50iu (my level was in the 55 range then-) i took it along with my 4,000 iu a day and this time my levels were 48 whats going on. and how much of the d3 can i take or should i get another script? Thanks to all.

Cath