THINK BEFORE YOU PINK

guardengumby& Kaara -

I started with Femara but my muscles on my back were on fire, joints very painful, fatigue out of this world,

Arimidex very nauseated, severe fatigue, joint pain similar to shooting fire in my foints.  

Now on aromasin with both shoulder feeling alot of aching, random series of pain, shooting down my arm, both arms, back pain on left side especially when swimming my 2 miles every other day.  I had to stop taking the meds for about two weeks, symptoms have decreased.  Dread starting them after 2.5 years of these side effects.  

 I will have to find the study read.  As soon as I do, I will post it to this site.  

Ladies . . . thank you for this thread! I am going to "cut and paste" a piece out of a paper I wrote on global governace for my master's degree a number of months of ago (of course, before my dx). I apologize in advance for the length . . . but it may be interesting . . .

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation

This organization was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, after her sister, Susan G. Komen, lost her life to breast cancer in1982. The following excerpt is from the website:

"That promise is now Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, having invested nearly $1.5 billion since inception in 1982. As the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, we're working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, and generous contributions from our partners, sponsors and fellow supporters, we have become the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world." (www. http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/AboutUs.html).

This organization purports to epitomize the qualities of legitimacy, which, in part, have allowed it to achieve the kind of success that it has. Ms. Brinker has demonstrated the qualities of a visionary leader, and has been able to "enlist every segment of society - from leaders to citizens", and has, herself, received countless awards including being honoured by "President Barack Obama . . . with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor"; "she was named Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control for the United Nations' World Health Organization";  "Brinker was named one of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2008"; "she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary from 2001-2003"; she "served as U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007-2009"; and  "in 2008, President George W. Bush appointed her to The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees" (http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html). This is only a short list of her awards. She has also managed to form corporate alliances with some extremely successful international organizations including but not limited to ReMax, The Bank of America, VISA, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). It's almost difficult to believe that this is not an international capitalist organization . . . or is it?

Let us explore specifically the relationship between The Susan G. Komen for the Cure and KFC. The guiding principal of the former is to save human lives, and of the latter it is to sell deep fried chicken.  Do synergies really exist between these two organizations?

The National Cancer Institute in the United States issues annual fact sheets about cancer as it relates to genetics, diet, and the environment. One particular area of concern that a number of studies have pointed to is HCA's - Heterocyclic Amines. HCA's are the "carcinogenic chemicals formed from the cooking of muscle meats such as beef, pork, fowl, and fish" (The National Cancer Institute (NCI)). Although the NCI indicates that lower levels of HCA's can be found in meat cooked in some fast-food restaurants due to cooking temperatures and time (they don't specifically mention which ones) as opposed to meat cooked at home in a deep-fryer or on a BBQ, there is no mention of what the threshold of exposure-to-risk is. Suffice it to say that the risk is clearly evident. More importantly, however, are recent studies showing the increased cancer risk based on the consumption of animal-protein. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, one of the leading diet and nutrition scientists in the United States, recently published one of the world's most comprehensive studies ever conducted on this topic. Dr. Campbell cites that "increased intakes of animal protein enhance the production of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and this enhances cancer cell growth" (Campbell, p.367). IGF-1 is a hormone. "It manages the rates of which cells "grow" - that is, how they reproduce themselves and how they discard old cells, all in the name of good health. Under unhealthy conditions, however, IGF-1 becomes more active, increasing the birth and growth of new cells while simultaneously inhibiting the removal of old cells, both of which favor the development of cancer. It turns out that consuming animal-based foods increases the blood levels of this growth hormone" (Campbell, p.179).

Now let us examine the particulars of the partnership: KFC pledges to donate fifty cents for every bucket of deep fried chicken purchased to The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. To achieve the stated goal of $8.5 million this means 17 million buckets of IGF-1 and HCA laden food will have to be consumed. A bucket of KFC chicken costs approximately twenty dollars (CDN). Do the math: KFC will garner $340 million in gross revenue and donate a mere 2.5% of that money to a foundation that hopes to cure the very disease that eating this type of food could actually cause. If KFC were genuinely altruistic they would simply donate the money from their annual revenues and forego this ridiculously cynical campaign. If The Susan G. Komen for Cure foundation genuinely sought to prevent and end breast cancer, would they really partner with KFC?

So, what is The Susan G. Komen organization's excuse? If their goal is to find a cure for breast cancer, they could achieve far more by exclusively promoting the virtues of proven preventive measures like healthy diet, nutrition, exercise and sound medical screening as opposed to entering into ‘a deal with the devil'. Instead, they have created a campaign where they promote the consumption of carcinogenic-promoting food while making consumers feel good about it!

The Susan G. Komen organization has irreparably damaged their reputation and credibility and fueled the public's increasing cynicism for such campaigns. Arguably this is a slap in the face to all the breast cancer victims and survivors the world over. What could possibly be next? A carton of a package of Marlboro cigarettes wrapped up in pink ribbons to promote "Smoke for the Cure"?

Diagnosis: 2/17/2012, DCIS

You can volunteer to participate in a wide variety of studies on BC through Dr. Susan Love's Army of Women program. I am involved in two right now. One involves an online questionnaire (on links to ovarian cancer), one is giving a blood sample (for a study of young women with bc). The aim is for a million women to be willing to participate, don't think the numbers are there yet.

I signed up for the Army of Women yesterday . . . I'll do anything to help. Being in Canada, however, there are limited participation opportunities. But I will do what I can.

Tuckertwo . . . I totally agree!!! Hear Hear!

Tuckertwo . . . I just watched the trailer!! Thank you . . . . I have had a major bee in my bonet about the whole pink ribbon thing for ever . . . well before I was ever dx'ed with BC. I am going to go by the book tonight!!!!!!! I loved the one quote . . . "anger can be a good thing, if you do something with it" . . .

Thank you, Tucker, thank you, AMP.  I'm hoping this comes to Philly ASAP.  I'll be buying a ticket for myself, of course, and a whole bunch of tickets for others too.  Anyone reading here who is in the Philly / Wilmington area is welcome to come as my guest.

Just downloaded the Think Before You Pink Toolkit.  Enlightening.