bc and wine

Just my opinion....I hardly ever drank (maybe 4 glasses A YEAR) prior to BC.  I ran the Philadelphia half marathon 7 months prior to being diagnosed, never smoked, watched out for plastics in the microwave, stayed away from artificial sweetners, pesticides, garden weed killer, you name.  I got it.  No BRCA mutation, no family history.  I started drinking a little more frequently when diagnosed to take off the edge, stayed away from it while in treatment, but now, if I want a drink, I have one.  BC didn't seem to think the fact that I really drank before meant anything.  I too believe everything in moderation.  I usually don't have more than 1 a week, but I enoy it!

I think perhaps SusanK8 forgot to provide the source of the information she gave in her post from earlier today -- the one with the headline, "Prevention is the Cure for Breast Cancer."

Everything she stated in that post was written by "Samuel S Epstein MD," who was, at the time, a "professor of environmental medicine" at the University of Illinois (Chicago campus).

The information SusanK8 gave in her post is widely quoted throughout the internet.  Just google a phrase, and you'll find many dozens of hits (that's how I found it).  If you trace the information back, you'll see that Dr. Epstein made the statement posted by SusanK8 in a commentary he wrote for the Chicago Tribune in October of 1997:  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-10-26/features/9710260432_1_breast-cancer-early-detection-national-mammography-day

The same statement about mammograms and cancer risk (the one in the post by SusanK8) is quoted elsewhere as having come from a book Dr. Epstein wrote, "The Politics of Cancer," which was published in 1978 (re:  http://www.rense.com/general94/polit.htm).  He subsequently published an updated version of the book, called "The Politics of Cancer Revisited," in 1998.  That edition is available from 3rd-party retailers via Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Politics-Cancer-Revisited-Samuel-Epstein/dp/0914896474) for anyone who might be interested.

Please don't get me wrong -- Dr. Epstein was (is) no crazy person.  Yes, he was out of the main stream in much of what he wrote, especially with his willingness to discredit the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, etc., because they gave so little attention to preventing cancer versus treating it.  But, that doesn't mean what he said was wrong.  He received plenty of awards and recognition for his work, and for his ideas, which are certainly relevant to us.

The problem is that it's impossible for us to judge whether the factual statements he made about cancer risk in 1998, much less 1978, are still applicable today.  Actually, it's impossible to know whether the statement quoted in SusanK8's post was correct at the time it was uttered by Dr. Epstein.  Could it have been just his opinion, or did he offer data to substantiate his claims?  That's the trouble with using books and newspaper commentaries as sources of facts, instead of looking at the research results.

I am not trying to start an argument here.  Heaven knows, there's too much of that going on elsewhere.  I do believe that what SusanK8 is saying here about alcohol and BC risk is true.  Alcohol consumption is one of the few factors that has been shown, through controlled research studies, to be associated with an increased risk of BC recurrence.  Others are weight gain in menopausal women and lack of regular physical exercise.  But, you should be asking me for a source for what I've just said, right?  And I'll try to find one.

I've always liked this statement, which has been attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/1745):  "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." 

otter

Julia Child was a 36 year breast cancer survivor. 

She loved her wine. She also drank gin. She died just before her 92nd birthday.

I'll drink to that!

Sounds like a much better plan Kate. 

If my memory serves me correctly, there have been studies that have demonstrated the polyphenols in red wine act as an aromatase inhibitor...no time to cite those today but if you have them at your fingertips, Otter, that'd be great! Cheers!

It's called a "shandy" and is a staple in English pubs.  They use a "lemonade" where I think an Italian lemon soda would do just fine.

Yummy on a hot day.

Standard "pour" of wine here in Seattle is 5 oz.

Good to know, Kate!  I'm sensitive because of my family history.  You don't go through all this treatment not to live your life!

Kate,

Don't over think this, I say lets all stick with littletowers take on it all!!!!!

If we are permitted 7 glasses of wine a week, I think you drink them when you feel like it, if that means 2 fri and 2 sat so be it  ! If that means 1 every night with dinner so be it!!!!  I tend to pour a glass of wine in the evening, and there's usually have the glass sitting on my desk in the morning!!! However,

I did not tell you how big my glass was did I??????

Kate, if you worry about this you will take any enjoyment you are recieving from it away!!!

You are ok sweeti, really, my stage 3 gals, we laugh about this subject, there's a great thread over there right now in regards to this whole thing!!!!

I will say it again, we only have so much control over reacurrance, lets do everything we can, excersise, eat right ect.... And DRINK GOOD WINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luv to all my sista'hs

Stephanie

Hi KateHudson25, I just stumbled across your thread.  I have to say that while I have seen the latest hype and news stories regarding wine and BC I have not let it effect my having a few glasses of wine a week.  I did refrain while on chemo and to be honest I can't say that I felt much like drinking through chemo anyways.  If surving cancer means I have to encapsulate myself in a gigantic bubble to avoid every possible thing that has ever been "linked" to cancer and live the remainder of my life in fear of almost every known substance on earth well then I say no thank you, that's not living!  

As an interesting side note, I notice that when I go in for my Herceptin infusions as I am Her2+, that if I haven't had a glass of wine a couple of days prior my port likes to get finicky and not produce blood for my bloodwork.  So I say enjoy your couple of glasses of wine, live to enjoy your life and let the rest sort itself out.

Hi Susieq,

Your onc. sounds really cool.

I was just thinking about his comments and the comments made by Lalisa about the puritanical culture in her country. (I paraphrased her comments, hope I didn't take anything way out of context).

I'm a Brit who grew up in Australia. I was very aware of the "6 o'clock swill", where beer guzzling males drifting out of the bars and onto the pavement and into the sunshine to down a quickie or two before heading home after their day's work. Women weren't allowed in pubs in those days. LOL. The "6 o'clock swill" for non-Australians reading this post, was a 6 pm pub closing and the men were rapidly downing a few pints before the closing. So the guys would roll home drunk in time for dinner.

When pub closing times changed and they were open for much longer hours (happened sometime in the 60's or 70''s...I could be wrong, can't google it, I will lose my post) the well established mentality of the  quick drinks syndrome continued well into the 1980's.

I am comparing the puritanical philosophy stemming from maybe the prohibition era of the U.S. and the 6 o'clock swill of Australia.  Ha Ha!

I have lived in 4 countries, as previously mentioned.... from England, grew up in Australia and now live 6 months in Canada and 6 months in the U.S. (Oh, forgot to say I left Australia when I was 23 in search of adventure and settled in Canada).

 Having such a background gives me an enormous fondness for these 4 countries and the love and respect for each country's flag and national anthem.  I have lived in Canada about 40 years. You will laugh at this.... I hate hockey, but always stick around when DH is watching so I can listen to the national anthem of Canada and the U.S. LOL. (and then I leave).

Back to drinking....so I am comparing the easy going drinking attitude of Australia to the U.S. where there is a mixed feeling perhaps stemming from prohibition and the "temperance movement." Mmmmm.So...I am just wondering...are there any studies in Australia that says we shouldn't be drinking alcohol?  In North America, we are constantly hearing "one drink for a woman and two for a man" bla bla bla.

However, last year a study came out of Oxford University, in England, that said there is no safe level of alcohol for women.

Have you always lived in Brisbane Susieq? I visited Brisbane about 6 years ago and was very impressed indeed. It is a clean and lovely city. When I was a child Brisbane was always mentioned with the "dust and flies." So you can imagine how impressed I was.

Ooops, the timer is ringing on the stove. Hope I don't have to come back and delete this post if it seems like a ramble!!!LOL

Cheers.