Has anyone had root canals (so teeth) removed?

"Yeah, count me as another Quackwatch advocate with no evil company ties. I work for a divorce lawyer."

Yeah well, don't know about that "no evil company ties" in your case

Good oral health (i.e., filling cavities, root canals, regular cleanings) prevents long-term systemic disease and health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, low-birth weight and premature babies, respiratory disease, systemic bacterial infections, and oral cancer.  Research is ongoing about how oral health affects overall health.  There is simply no conclusive- or compelling scientific evidence linking breast cancer and root canals, or breast cancer with other dental work; however there is quite a lot of scientific evidence linking bad oral health with other health issues.

I am 52 years old and have had only one, white-bond filling in my life.  I am extremely active, eat organic and mostly plants, don't smoke, drink moderately, hate sweets, drink green tea (I prefer the taste), have never been Vitamin D deficient, and love my life.  And, yet, I still developed breast cancer.  It's because I have BREASTS, not because of my dental work.

I read the ingredient list on those white fillings. didn't look good to me. after I lost all those teeth I began flossing & brushing every time I ate. no more blood there, finally. a very good idea to do these things. dentists? I doubt it

My MO always told me that - cancer notwithstanding - I was in absolutely optimal physical health and she had never treated anyone who was so (otherwise) healthy.  She believes - and I believe - that my ability to withstand the harshness of treatment and recover from its effects so quickly is because - ironically - I was as healthy as a bloody horse.  Now, when I see her on my annual visits, she just shakes her head when I tell her I've just done a 30-mile bike hike the previous day, or a 10 mile forest hike, and says that I need to "slow down" (happy smiley face).  Which is so not going to happen because I love to MOVE!

I doubt very much that my one, small white-bond filling was responsible for my breast cancer.  My breasts were.

(I agree with Ruth, I want the smiley's back!)

I developed breast cancer because 1) I am a woman and 2) I have breasts.  Those were my biggest risk factors.  3) Family history, albiet limited.  My mother developed breast cancer at the age of 74, but that is the only other instance of breast cancer in an extremely extended family (with several first degree female relatives).  4)  I did not have children or breast feed, but - on-the-other-hand - my mother had four children and breast-fed all four, and still developed breast cancer.  So, I don't know how viable this risk factor was for me.  5) Late on-set menopause: I was still going strong and very regular until chemotherapy (when I was 50), which threw me into (thankfully) menopause; however, my mother went through surgical menopause at the age of 50 when she had a complete hysterectomy/oophrectomy (for reasons NOT related to cancer), and still developed a strongly ER+ breast cancer at 74.  So, again, I don't know how viable this risk factor is for me. 

So, bottom line, my conjecture still remains: I developed breast cancer because 1) I am a woman and 2) I have breasts.  And those are two things that I cannot change at this point.  The rest is simply guesswork with no conclusive answers.  At least, for me.  Which is probably why I don't tend to try to do anything special since having breast cancer because I really don't know if I can "tweek" any more.  I adopted the "whole food slow food" philosophy a number of years ago.  I remain very active and involved in sports.  I have never smoked.  I drink (wine only) only occasionally.  I'm not into sweets.  I hate milk and never drink it, but do indulge periodically in cheese.  I eat full-fat because of my activity level, but I do watch to ensure that I'm only having the proper dietary portions.  Frankly, I don't know what else I can do to lessen my risk any further than what I was already doing pre-breast cancer.

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just cannot outrun our own personal genetics.

Selena, here in Greece, the idea is that if you are sick, you should go to bed and do the swooning thing. During chemo, I would get blood panels done at a lab 4 metro stops from my house, which is about 3 miles. My onc quickly realized I wasn't the swooning type, when I told her that I had walked to and from the blood lab the previous day to get in a bit of exercise before the next chemo.

Peggy, I completely agree about the crap shoot. I am all for trying to improve my odds, but I never delude myself into thinking that I can do anymore than that.

Peggyj,

Yes, in many ways it does seem like a giant roulette game. We all do the best we can. Those of us who actually have diagnosed bc offer many different perspectives on the why's or how's of how we got to where we are. Those who don't but post here anyway have zero credibility and disrespect those of us who have bc.

Caryn

Of the nine people I've known with breast cancer, including me, if that's what I have, I'm the only one of the nine who have had no children. I tried to find the locked forum yesterday and it is apparently gone. I was told people would be able to read there but not post. apparently that'.s no longer true. anyway I would post there if it existed. It was for people who use only alternative therapies but have not been diagnosed. I guess someone thought it would be helpful if it was no longer there.

While stress is not a good thing, I'd be rather surprised to find that it was a major contributor to the development of bc. All adults have stressful periods in their lives, very few are unscathed, yet the vast majority do not develop bc. Additionally, if this were true, it would be a bummer because how could we avoid it? People divorce, family members die, jobs are lost etc. life happens.

As to using alternative therapies, yes we have and have had threads that deal with that. I've only been on bco for 2 years but I only know one self diagnosed member. For most of us conventional or alternative, self dx is simply too far out there. If that's acceptable, then the whole value of these boards is severely diminished.

Ah, fool that I am, I continue to engage in this fruitless exchange...

It is absurd for anyone, regardless of age, to self dx via info on the internet or a radio show. I sincerely hope that someone, new to bco, perhaps scared and desperate, would never think that such a thing was acceptable nor take any advice on diet or self tx from someone who does (self dx).

I feel better now

Very well! Thanks for asking.

Thanks, momine. You already know that my "line in the sand" is self dx. Even in my very liberal view of things, this is not ok. And, I say this as someone who actually has the experience of having breast cancer!

There's a survey/statistic somewhere out there that ranks different types of stress.  Loss of loved one, divorce, loss of job, nasty diagnosis, all rank high.  They tell you that if your stresses during the last year add up beyond  a certain number, you are at a higher likelyhood of developing a serious illness.  After dx last fall, I asked the radiologist look back at my past mammos with me.  There is a tiny lesion three years ago, when my marriage broke up.  The lesion was twice the size two years ago while I was going through an absolutely horrid separation, and it was large enough (1.1 cm) to be considered suspicious by mammo (both by the CAD program and a real person) last fall, shortly after a brutal three day divorce trial.

I certainly would not say stress "causes" breast cancer, but I am convinced that it does not help your body keep it, or any other ailment, under control.

Years ago, I had a shrink who believed that stress is behind every physical symptom.  At first I thought he was wacko (after all, why else would he be attracted to psychology?), but over the years, I've come to pretty much agree with him.

I think what many people fail lto realise is that - basically - our bodies are machines.  Complex, sophisticated, biological machines.  And, like most machines, they begin to malfunction and breakdown.  Regular check-ups and tune-ups help keep the machine running smoothly; so does the proper fuel and care.  But, ultimately, due to it's complexity, it will begin to malfunction and breakdown, and not operate with the efficiency it used to when it was brand-new.  For a lot of people, this happens with age; with other people, unfortunately, this happens much sooner. 

Cancer - in general - happens at the cellular level.  That's where all the action and damage occur.  Sometimes, that action can be triggered by an outside force - i.e., exposure to asbestos, pollutants, etc. - but sometimes it occurs sponaneously.  It takes a certain chain reaction within our bodies for that one, mutated cell to begin developing into cancer.  Any interruptions- or changes to that chain of events can, sometimes, destroy that cancerous cell, but if the chain remains unbroken, the cancer will continue to develop and grow.  It's inevitable.  Treatment can slow it down or stop it in its tracks and, sometimes, put it to sleep for years, but - unless there is some type of intervention - the cancer, i.e., the malfunction will continue.

I'm not saying that there aren't things we can do to reduce our risk of developing breast cancer, but - at it's most basic level - we cannot prevent our bodies, our machines, from breaking down over time.  Cancer is a genetic disease.  If we have cells, we possess within us the potential for those cells to go wrong.

exbrxgrl and momine ... my line in the sand is not only self-diagnosis, but those who insist on diagnosing others.

What an utterly vicious thing to write.