Survivors who had chemo etc and are into Complementary medicine

revkat

Everyone says zucchini is so easy to grow. . . and I have had a terrible time with my squash the last two years. Everything else grows great, the squash not so much. It turns out that the female flowers need to be fertilized and our many bees prefer to other flowers. As a result, we have to fertilize them by hand. It's hardly worth it for zucchini!

AnneW

Nancy, I thought that was a great article. Thanks for posting it. I meant to do that last week but forgot!

My poor squash plants just got pounded by hail. But the hummingbirds made it through the storm. It was wild!

ruthbru

I used to have a garden but rabbits kept eating everything. Maybe I could plant some with my raspberry bushes....I don't think that I would be dedicated enough to fertilize them by hand though!

I used the expensive zucchini to make my lasagna tonight. I hadn't made it for awhile and had forgotten how really good it tastes! I cut back on both the meat and the cheese and it still tasted yummy!

Yazmin

Timtam: Good to see you again (does your onc still call you the mini-gorilla?).   Claire-in-Seattle: Bon voyage (well, you might even be back, by now) And Kira, thank you for the interesting New York Times article; this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/health/research/08genes.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaperSee: if this terrible experimental had been conducted by anything but this absolutely mainstream institution, some people would be screaming quackery right now.

Yazmin

Nancy, thanks for this great article on alternative medicine.

I can personally speak for homeopathy: after years and years and years of "de-sensitization" shots and other treatments from several ENT doctors.............and after getting loaded with tons of anti-histamine medications...... to no avail, my terrible allergies were finally cured by a homeopathic doctor in France.

GirlFriday

Fertilize zuchs by hand!  I never thought of that. Last year we had bloom after bloom, and we only had about 4 zuchs....This year again we have tons of blooms...I'm going to go out to the garden and touch inside all of the flowers...or is it more complicated than that? 

painterly

Great article Nancy. Thanks for posting.

I am doing acupunture at the moment. My 3rd will be today. she is a medical doctor as well as an acupunturist so infection from needles for me would be less likely.

I decided to try the acupunture to see if I could get some of my old energy back. Treatments really did a number on me. Gardening used to be a favourite past time, but now I sigh and think, gee that's a lot of work to be done when i look at weeds growing amongst my roses etc.

painterly

Ruthbru,

I tried your zucchini dish last week but made the spaghetti sauce from scratch. ( I googled spaghetti sauce from scratch and got an amazing recipe full of wonderful veges that were simmered for an hour).

Great dish. Thanks!

apple

i just grow zuccini seeds along my fence.  many plants seem to grow themselves.  I wish I could share.

Sherryc

If you zuchinis are full of blooms and not pollinating make sure both the male and female blooms are blooming.  I had a problem with my yellow squash, lots of blooms until I realized they were all male blooms.  I had a bug that was eating the inside of my females so they were not opening and the bees could not do their magic.  once i got rid of the bugs nature took its course.

kira1234

I wonder if I can grow zucchini's in Florida during the winter. I just love them any way I can eat them.

Sherryc

Kira call your local Extension Office and they can tell you.  Great resource for gardening

AnneW

How do you tell if the bloom is a girl or boy? I think I used to know this in high school, maybe it's the stamen? Off to google this...I had the same problem with my squash last year--tons of blooms, no fruit.

alamik

The girl's holding all the credit cards? Sorry awake all night and that always makes me goofy!

LtotheK

Got a question for you ladies.  Who here has the occasional drink?  I've been having an afternoon 1/2 beer, and think I should cut it out based on the latest studies (increased recurrence risk).  What say ye?  I surely love my summer stout...and the occasional glass of red wine is a spot of heaven.  It seems a shame to have to cut so many things out.

Claire_in_Seattle

Only 1/2 beer???  There are some things in life I am not giving up.  Wine is one of them.

A few others on the list are butter, good coffee and tea, the odd delish pastry, pate, sex, foxy underwear, bubble baths, and great shoes.

I didn't drink during chemo as thought my liver had enough to do.

Life is for the living which is what I intend to do.

My focus is on overall total health.  So I eat a ton of veggies, do major cycling events in the summer and ski in the winter, and a weekday routine of weights/crunches and walking.  I take the supplements I need on top of anastrazole.

Otherwise, I don't go nuts.  I had a wonderful time at the Roman Dinner at my church last night.  We brought in yummy Italian dishes, and there was plenty of good wine.  Lecture by one of the associate priests who is also a university professor.  Absolutely fascinating, plus great food and company.

I drank wine and walked the half mile home...... - Claire

LtotheK

Go, Claire, Go!  Foxy underwear, you got it, babe.

1/2 beer...like four days in a row is what I meant.  Especially in summer, it's divine.

This is good to hear, makes me feel like I don't have to give up what I love so much.  Heading overseas to hang with friends, and goodness, wine really is part of that wonderful equation.

dlb823

LtotheK ~ Did you have IDC or ILC?  I think the most recent research makes a distinction, which is that alcohol (and it may have been specifically wine; don't recall for sure) in moderation makes no difference to IDC, but for some reason does with ILC.  I can dig up that research link if anyone's interested.   Deanna

lago

Interesting Deanna. I wonder what that means for LCIS? I had a small amount of that in the "good" breast. Not that I really drink that much but I do like an occasional red wine or just about anything with tequila.

mscal02

painterly: You can google Dr.Otto Heinrich Warburg. He won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. He did a lot of research on how cancer tissues are acidic and healthy tissues are akaline.

LtotheK

Deanna, I had IDC, and so, I would love to see that research link.

Mscal, I'm interested in this topic, too.  I suggest that since 1931, medical knowledge has changed so much that it would be good to get a source for a recent study.  For sure it seems to matter what you eat, but I don't know whether that is acid/alkaline, rather biological interactions of vitamins, enzymes, hormones, etc.

AnnNYC

Zucchini boy flower:

CherrylH

Ltothe K,

I'm with Claire. I'm almost 11 years out (no guarantee there won't be a recurrence) but I'm a strong  believer in quality of life and that involves good wine with good food. I like to say that inorder to continue to be in good standing with my Episcopal church I have to drink wine regularly!!

AnnNYC

Zucchini girl flower photo is so huge that maybe you can't see the whole thing, including the distinctive multiple pistils (compared to the stamens on the boy flower, above), so here's a link to a definitive photo of female flower: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/152243/  

The female flower, even before it is opened and pollinated, has what looks like a tiny zucchini-like swelling below the flower (which will grow into the zucchini squash if pollinated).  The male flower doesn't have this swelling on the stem below the flower.

Edit again to put the photo back, since CS loved it!  Female flower:

Anonymous

ANNE - thank you, thank you, thank you - I'm running into my garden to play Gregor Mendel (sp?)

LOVE THE PICTURES

pip57

Who would ever think of frying such a beautiful thing?

dlb823

Here's a recap of that 2010 study:

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823162318.htm

I had both IDC & ILC.  So while I still have an occasional glass of wine or lite beer, the study definitely makes me reluctant to totally throw caution to the wind.    Deanna

kira1234

dlb823, I read that article as well. It really opened my eyes, and I have also decided wine is a treat now.

Luah

Deanna: I recall seeing that same study on alcohol and ILC. But I just wonder how there can be so much correlation over so many studies between alcohol use and BC, if it's all attributable to ILC which is by far less common than IDC. I thought being TN gave me a bit of a pass, but I think there's even a study out there saying that's not so - so go figure on the circulating estrogen theory... maybe it's more to do with blood sugar levels. 

I also wonder how many of these studies are self-reported usage.. we know how accurate that may be - not.

In any case, I love a glass of good wine with dinner, and I refuse to give that up entirely. I exercise a lot and eat well... so do my best to lower my odds elsewhere.

edited to add: Thanks for posting the link. It's true none of us are out of the woods, because sad to say we're also at risk for a new primary (which could be ILC) as much as a recurrence. 

Anonymous

pip

my friend sautes the male ones stuffed with several different kinds of cheese, it is so delicious, I can't even explain the taste without drooling....AND they look beautiful too!!!!!