Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins University

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .



1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors..

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water.. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.


12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.


Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.

Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

The 20 Cancer Symptoms Women Are Most Likely to Ignore

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/11/The-20-Cancer-Symptoms-Women-Are-Most-Likely-to-Ignore.aspx


Don't rely on routine tests alone to protect you from cancer. It's just as important to listen to your body and notice anything that's different, odd, or unexplainable. Here are some signs that are commonly overlooked:

1. Wheezing or shortness of breath
One of the first signs many lung cancer patients remember noticing is the inability to catch their breath.

2. Chronic cough or chest pain
Several types of cancer, including leukemia and lung tumors, can cause symptoms that mimic a bad cough or bronchitis. Some lung cancer patients report chest pain that extends up into the shoulder or down the arm.

3. Frequent fevers or infections
These can be signs of leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells that starts in the bone marrow. Leukemia causes the marrow to produce abnormal white blood cells, sapping your body's infection-fighting capabilities.

4. Difficulty swallowing
Trouble swallowing is most commonly associated with esophageal or throat cancer, and is sometimes one of the first signs of lung cancer, too.

5. Swollen lymph nodes or lumps on the neck, underarm, or groin
Enlarged lymph nodes indicate changes in the lymphatic system, which can be a sign of cancer.

6. Excessive bruising or bleeding that doesn't stop
This symptom usually suggests something abnormal happening with the platelets and red blood cells, which can be a sign of leukemia. Over time, leukemia cells crowd out red blood cells and platelets, impairing your blood's ability to carry oxygen and clot.

7. Weakness and fatigue
Generalized fatigue and weakness is a symptom of so many different kinds of cancer that you'll need to look at it in combination with other symptoms. But any time you feel exhausted without explanation and it doesn't respond to getting more sleep, talk to your doctor.

8. Bloating or abdominal weight gain
Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer overwhelmingly report unexplained abdominal bloating that came on fairly suddenly and continued on and off over a long period of time.

9. Feeling full and unable to eat
This is another tip-off to ovarian cancer; women say they have no appetite and can't eat, even when they haven't eaten for some time.

10. Pelvic or abdominal pain
Pain and cramping in the pelvis and abdomen can go hand in hand with the bloating that often signals ovarian cancer. Leukemia can also cause abdominal pain resulting from an enlarged spleen.

11. Rectal bleeding or blood in stool
This is a common result of diagnosing colorectal cancer. Blood in the toilet alone is reason to call your doctor and schedule a colonoscopy.

12. Unexplained weight loss
Weight loss is an early sign of colon and other digestive cancers; it's also a sign of cancer that's spread to the liver, affecting your appetite and the ability of your body to rid itself of wastes.

13. Upset stomach or stomachache
Stomach cramps or frequent upset stomachs may indicate colorectal cancer.

14. A red, sore, or swollen breast
These symptoms can indicate inflammatory breast cancer. Call your doctor about any unexplained changes to your breasts.

15. Nipple changes
One of the most common changes women remember noticing before being diagnosed with breast cancer is a nipple that began to appear flattened, inverted, or turned sideways.

16. Unusually heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
Many women report this as the tip-off to endometrial or uterine cancer. Ask for a transvaginal ultrasound if you suspect something more than routine heavy periods.

17. Swelling of facial features
Some patients with lung cancer report noticing puffiness, swelling, or redness in the face. Small cell lung tumors commonly block blood vessels in the chest, preventing blood from flowing freely from your head and face.

18. A sore or skin lump that doesn't heal, becomes crusty, or bleeds easily
Familiarize yourself with the different types of skin cancer -- melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma -- and be vigilant about checking skin all over your body for odd-looking growths or spots.

19. Changes in nails
Unexplained changes to the fingernails can be a sign of several types of cancer. A brown or black streak or dot under the nail can indicate skin cancer, while newly discovered "clubbing"-- enlargement of the ends of the fingers with nails that curve down over the tips -- can be a sign of lung cancer. Pale or white nails can sometimes be a sign of liver cancer.

20. Pain in the back or lower right side
Many cancer patients say this was the first sign of liver cancer. Breast cancer is also often diagnosed via back pain, which can occur when a breast tumor presses backward into the chest, or when the cancer spreads to the spine or ribs.

I HAVE GONE INTO THE 'MONASTERY'

I have not written on my blog for a while now because I have not felt like doing it. Each time I think I should write, I feel irritated, so I have just not.

I am feeling very introspective and like something inside me is awakening. I need to block all outside chatter to listen very carefully. The whole of last year I ignored the little voice inside me that said: 'Be still, I need to tell you something'.

When something potentially life threatening is chasing you with a big stick, you sit down and listen!! Now I am doing exactly what my intuition tells me to.

So if I have not called you or made a plan to see you, please excuse me. I am not sure when next I will feel like I want to see anyone.

I am seeing Patricia, the 'Soul Dr', once or twice a week. She is like a sounding board for my own intuition and is helping me to trust what I am sensing. I am feeling very grounded, energised, and happy.

Patricia warned that I must not think I can just go back to the way was living just yet as I may become exhausted again (I don't think I will ever as I can see what exhaustion can result in).

I don't have any extra energy for anyone or anything. I feel irritated by the thought of seeing or doing anything so I am going to listen to this (Feels very strange I must add!!). I need all the energy I can muster to heal.

I do the body awareness technique every second day and I am slowly integrating energy held in my past back into present time. This process seems very slow indeed but I am getting better at it with each attempt.

Until next time,

H

DR JOHN R LEE'S 3 RULES FOR HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

		DR. JOHN R. LEE'S THREE RULES FOR HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY Use a sprinkle of common sense and a dash of logic. by John R. Lee, M.D. The recent Lancet publication of the Million Women Study (MWS) removes any lingering doubt that there’s something wrong with conventional HRT (see Million Woman Study in the UK, Published in The Lancet, Gives New Insight into HRT and Breast Cancer for details). Why would supplemental estrogen and a progestin (e.g. not real progesterone) increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 30 percent or more? Other studies found that these same synthetic HRT hormones increase one’s risk of heart disease and blood clots (strokes), and do nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. When you pass through puberty and your sex hormones surge, they don’t make you sick—they cause your body to mature into adulthood and be healthy. But, the hormones used in conventional HRT are somehow not right—they are killing women by the tens of thousands. The question is—where do we go from here? My answer is—we go back to the basics and find out where our mistake is. I have some ideas on that. Over the years I have adopted a simple set of three rules covering hormone supplementation. When these rules are followed, women have a decreased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, or strokes. They are much less likely to get fat, or have poor sleep, or short term memory loss, fibrocystic breasts, mood disorders or libido problems. And the rules are not complicated. Rule 1. Give hormones only to those who are truly deficient in them. The first rule is common sense. We don’t give insulin to someone unless we have good evidence that they need it. The same is true of thyroid, cortisol and all our hormones. Yet, conventional physicians routinely prescribe estrogen or other sex hormones without ever testing for hormone deficiency. Conventional medicine assumes that women after menopause are estrogen-deficient. This assumption is false. Twenty-five years ago I reviewed the literature on hormone levels before and after menopause, and all authorities agreed that over two-thirds (66 percent) of women up to age 80 continue to make all the estrogen they need. Since then, the evidence has become stronger. Even with ovaries removed, women make estrogen, primarily by an aromatase enzyme in body fat and breasts that converts an adrenal hormone, androstenedione, into estrone. Women with plenty of body fat may make more estrogen after menopause than skinny women make before menopause. Breast cancer specialists are so concerned about all the estrogen women make after menopause that they now use drugs to block the aromatase enzyme. Consider the irony: some conventional physicians are prescribing estrogens to treat a presumed hormone deficiency in postmenopausal women, while others are prescribing drugs that block estrogen production in postmenopausal women. How does one determine if estrogen deficiency exists? Any woman still having monthly periods has plenty of estrogen. Vaginal dryness and vaginal mucosal atrophy, on the other hand, are clear signs of estrogen deficiency. Lacking these signs, the best test is the saliva hormone assay. With new and better technology, saliva hormone testing has become accurate and reliable. As might be expected, we have learned that hormone levels differ between individuals; what is normal for one person is not necessarily normal for another. Further, one must be aware that hormones work within a complex network of other hormones and metabolic mediators, something like different musicians in an orchestra. To interpret a hormone’s level, one must consider not only its absolute level but also its relative ratios with other hormones that include not only estradiol, progesterone and testosterone, but cortisol and thyroid as well. For example, in healthy women without breast cancer, we find that the saliva progesterone level routinely is 200 to 300 times greater than the saliva estradiol level. In women with breast cancer, the saliva progesterone/estradiol ratio is considerably less than 200 to 1. As more investigators become more familiar with saliva hormone tests, I believe these various ratios will become more and more useful in monitoring hormone supplements. Serum or plasma blood tests for steroid hormones should be abandoned—the results so obtained are essentially irrelevant. Steroid hormones are extremely lipophilic (fat-loving) and are not soluble in serum. Steroid hormones carry their message to cells by leaving the blood flow at capillaries to enter cells where they bond with specific hormone receptors in order to convey their message to the cells. These are called “free” hormones. When eventually they circulate through the liver, they become protein-bound (enveloped by specific globulins or albumin), a process that not only seriously impedes their bioavailability but also makes them water soluble, thus facilitating their excretion in urine. Measuring the concentration of these non-bioavailable forms in urine or serum is irrelevant since it provides no clue as to the concentration of the more clinically significant “free“ (bioavailable) hormone in the blood stream. When circulating through saliva glands, the “free” non–protein-bound steroid hormone diffuses easily from blood capillaries into the saliva gland and then into saliva. Protein-bound, non-bioavailable hormones do not pass into or through the saliva gland. Thus, saliva testing is far superior to serum or urine testing in measuring bioavailable hormone levels. Serum testing is fine for glucose and proteins but not for measuring “free” steroid hormones. Fifty years of “blood” tests have led to the great confusion that now befuddles conventional medicine in regard to steroid hormone supplementation. Rule 2. Use bioidentical hormones rather than synthetic hormones. The second rule is also just common sense. The message of steroid hormones to target tissue cells requires bonding of the hormone with specific unique receptors in the cells. The bonding of a hormone to its receptor is determined by its molecular configuration, like a key is for a lock. Synthetic hormone molecules and molecules from different species (e.g. Premarin, which is from horses) differ in molecular configuration from endogenous (made in the body) hormones. From studies of petrochemical xenohormones, we learn that substitute synthetic hormones differ in their activity at the receptor level. In some cases, they will activate the receptor in a manner similar to the natural hormone, but in other cases the synthetic hormone will have no effect or will block the receptor completely. Thus, hormones that are not bioidentical do not provide the same total physiologic activity as the hormones they are intended to replace, and all will provoke undesirable side effects not found with the human hormone. Human insulin, for example, is preferable to pig insulin. Sex hormones identical to human (bioidentical) hormones have been available for over 50 years. Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. Synthetic hormones (not found in nature) can be patented, whereas real (natural, bioidentical) hormones can not. Patented drugs are more profitable than non-patented drugs. Sex hormone prescription sales have made billions of dollars for pharmaceutical companies Thus is women’s health sacrificed for commercial profit. Rule 3. Use only in dosages that provide normal physiologic tissue levels. The third rule is a bit more complicated. Everyone would agree, I think, that dosages of hormone supplements should restore normal physiologic levels. The question is—how do you define normal physiologic levels? Hormones do not work by just floating around in circulating blood; they work by slipping out of blood capillaries to enter cells that have the proper receptors in them. As explained above, protein-bound hormones are unable to leave blood vessels and bond with intracellular receptors. They are non-bioavailable. But they are water-soluble, and thus found in serum, whereas the “free” bioavailable hormone is lipophilic and not water soluble, thus not likely to be found in serum. Serum tests do not help you measure the “free,” bioavailable form of the hormone. The answer is saliva testing. It is quite simple to measure the change in saliva hormone levels when hormone supplementation is given. If more physicians did that, they would find that their usual estrogen dosages create estrogen levels 8 to 10 times greater than found in normal healthy people, and that progesterone levels are not raised by giving supplements of synthetic progestin such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Further, saliva levels (and not serum levels) of progesterone will clearly demonstrate excellent absorption of progesterone from transdermal creams. Transdermal progesterone enters the bloodstream fully bioavailable (i.e., without being protein-bound). The progesterone increase is readily apparent in saliva testing, whereas serum will show little or no change. In fact, any rise of serum progesterone after transdermal progesterone dosing is most often a sign of excessive progesterone dosage. Saliva testing helps determine optimal dosages of supplemented steroid hormones, something that serum testing cannot do. It is important to note that conventional HRT violates all three of these rules for rational use of supplemental steroid hormones. A 10-year French study of HRT using a low-dose estradiol patch plus oral progesterone shows no increased risk of breast cancer, strokes or heart attacks. Hormone replacement therapy is a laudable goal, but it must be done correctly. HRT based on correcting hormone deficiency and restoring proper physiologic balanced tissue levels, is proposed as a more sane, successful and safe technique. Other Factors Hormone imbalance is not the only cause of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. Other risk factors of importance include the following: Poor diet (excess sugar and refined starches, trans fatty acids, lack of needed nutrients such as omega-3 fats, full range of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.) Environmental xenoestrogens and hormones not removed by water treatment. (Be sure that your home water filter will remove hormones.). Insulin resistance. Stress. Lifestyle problems such as excess light at night (poor sleep, melatonin deficiency), alcohol, cadmium (cigarette smoking), and birth control pills during early teens. Men share these risks equally with women. Hormone imbalance and exposure to these risk factors in men leads to earlier heart attacks, lower sperm counts and higher prostate cancer risk. Conclusion Conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) composed of either estrone or estradiol, with or without progestins (excluding progesterone) carries an unacceptable risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes. I propose a more rational HRT using bioidentical hormones in dosages based on true needs as determined by saliva testing. In addition to proper hormone balancing, other important risk factors are described, all of which are potentially correctable. Combining hormone balancing with correction of other environmental and lifestyle factors is our best hope for reducing the present risks of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. A much broader discussion of all these factors can be found in the updated and revised edition of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer.

BIO-IDENTICAL PROGESTERONE

I went to Dr Gareth Edwards (my plastic surgeon, sure you know his name well by now!) again today for my weekly squirt of saline into my breast tissue expanders.

I asked more about my progesterone receptor result that had come back ambivalant when the estrogen receptor status was initally done. I asked whether the test could be redone. He said yes, and ordered a re-run (results will be ready on Monday).

I gathered from Gareth that the medical world does not care as much about the progesterone receptor status because they don't have a method of dealing with it.

I went home and read some more of Dr John R Lee's book 'What your Dr may not tell you about Menopause' and in which he details how having progesterone positive receptors on breast cancer cells is a good thing as this allow the progesterone into the cells. This can also happen if the receptor results come back negative as there are always progesterone receptors on breast cells.

Estrogen causes immature breast cells to divide more rapidly, while Progesterone slows the breast cell division and encourages cells to mature.

I am now waiting for my saliva progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA-S, and cortisol levels. These tests are still quite new in this country so the lab is taking it's time. I am on them!

I need these results to determine what percentage of progesterone to have mixed into the cream, and also as a marker to see what my hormone levels are before and after treatment.

I would start taking Progesterone now if I could! I am very excited that bio-identical progesterone is the alternative to Tamoxifen I was looking for!

In Dr John R Lee's book's, he pulls together most of my symptoms as being due to low progesterone levels:

• the adrenal fatigue - progesterone is a precursor to cortisol, the body's stress hormone.
  
• the slightly under active thyroid - low cortisol suppresses thyroid function
  
• the weight gain after haivng both my children - estrogen dominence
• the impaired blood sugar levels for most of my 20's and early 30's- estrogen dominence
• the low sex drive- estrogen dominence
• the suppressed immune system (zinc boosts the immune system and low progesterone levels cause a loss of zinc and a rise in copper - this can also lead to infertility)- estrogen dominence
• low oxygen levels - cancer is believed to grow in an anaerobic (no oxygen), acidic inter- and intracellular environment. Estrogen dominence reduces oxgygen levels in cells while progesterone promotes cellular oxygenation- estrogen dominence.
• the risk of gall bladder disease - this was a strange one to find. Towards the end of my pregnancy with Lily, my 2nd child, I had very itchy, yellow palms of my hands and soles of my feet. After much reading online, I determined that I had cholestasis due to pregnancy. This is temporary and is caused by the pressure of the baby on the gall bladder which hinders the free flow of bile from the gall bladder into the intesttine. The result is the back up of bilirubin in the blood, hence the yellow colour and the itchy. I never thought much of it it then but I wonder whether that was linked to low progesterone levels back then already??

If you are a woman, I urge you again, to read the books by Dr John R Lee - in them, he answers so many questions we all have but that our doctors may not have answers for.

After a close read of Dr John R Lee's website, I realise he died in 2003 so I will not be able to to email him! www.johnleemd.com

DE & RE-CONSTRUCTING HEIDI

In 1 & 2.2009, I went to Dr Angela Lecore (who treats with NLP, hypnosis, and Psyche K) in pursuit of the emotional causes of the breast cancer.

The Psyche-K technique uses kinesiology to test whether or not my subconscious has a belief installed. If not, we install it. Over simplification for this technique but that I feel great afterwards!

Now that I have a bit of a breather from surgery etc, I want to pick up where we left off.

Before the mastectomy, we installed the following 2 beliefs in my subconscious:

• I am worthy
• I am Heidi

Today, I wanted to explore a theory by Lowell Ward that parents may have wanted a boy child instead of a girl child while child was in the uterus and therefore the girl never felt fully 'girl'. The girl then develops breast cancer asa result of not fully accepting herself.

The person who mentioned this theory had commented on why I had had both breasts removed when I only needed to have one removed (I had done this to lessen chance of recurrence by haivng as much estrogen senstive breast tissue removed as possible, and from a better reconstruction point of view). He questioned whether I was trying to feel more like a male??

I cast my mind back to growing up and remember being very much a tomboy. I was always playing bikes and skateboards, was crawling in rivers and storm water drains with the boys from my neigbourhood (all the kids in our neighbourhood just happened to be boys except for a girl next door who I never got along with).

I always wore a sleeveless vest under my t-shirts as I didn't like my the feeling of just the t-shirt on my chest/maybe of my nipples sticking through.

I cringed at the thought of parting with my vests when it came time for a bra so my mom gave me one for Christmas!! Very traumatic!

I was also in denial when my periods started so told my mom it was just a runny tummy.

Through my teens and early 20's, I was still very boy-ish but never thought much about it.

When I asked my parents whether they had wanted a boy, my mom said 'no'. My dad said 'no' at first, but then added that it would have been nice to have had a boy first to be assured that the family name would be continued!

Remember, there were no scans in those days to show the sex of the baby so parents had 10 months to wonder and wish for the sex they wanted. Even though we have scans today, parents could still desire the opposite sex, or feel disappointed, even if they know.

After I was born, my dad fell head over heals in love with me and didn't want anymore children!

I hate unexplored stuff so off with the lid!! During my session with Dr Lecore, she asked my subconscious whether gender was a issue for me.

My subconscious said it was an issue, back was not the main issue. We had to install the following beliefs first:

• I can relax and be myself safely
• I am confident, and therefore believe in myself fully

This is as far as we got today. A bit of a cliff hanger, I know!

I feel like getting breast cancer has given me the opportunity to unpack and question all learnt beliefs, behaviours, roles, and identities I have gathered until now.

I now get to clean my slate, and take only what I want to. I am working from the bottom up. This process is quite scary at times but very rewarding.

I still don't know where it will end up. I am consciously taking ownership of every aspect of myself and this feels so good.

I realise that 'growing up' and becoming adult, happens in tiny steps, never all at once.

DR JOHN R LEE'S COMMENTS ON BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

I am still deciding whether or not to take the the estrogen receptor blocker drug, Tamoxifen. All the while, I am researching bio-identical progesterone cream as an alternative.

I busy reading Dr John R Lee's books: 'What you Dr may not tell you about Breast Cancer' and 'What your Dr may not tell you about Menopause' - his points are below.

(Dr Lee has also written a book called 'What your Dr may not tell you about Premenopause' which I will buy next - although I am sure the info is all pretty much the same).

EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO READ THESE BOOKS! DOCTORS DO NOT KNOW THIS INFO. EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARE NOT A CANDIDATE FOR BREAST CANCER. The bio-identical progesterone also helps treat various other female problems.

To date, Dr Lee's books have been the most useful, well researched, comprehensive, and hope providing. Finding a practitioner int his country who has successfully treated breast cancer for many years is a not proving easy.

The only thing is: my breast tissue results came back as estrogen positive and progesterone ambivalent - they could not determine whether or not the breast cancer was stimulated by progesterone.

If it was stimulated by progesterone, I am not sure whether or not I can use the progesterone cream. About to email Dr Lee now.

I am questioning whether women could start measuring their estrogen and progesterone levels from 20-25yrs, correct any imbalances with bio-identical hormones, and decrease the chance of getting breast cancer. Obviously, there are other contributing factors to breast cancer and all these need to be addressed.


......Back to the lab for more info on the breast tissue results


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What Dr. Lee Said About Breast Cancer

http://www.johnleemd.com/store/hbh-081001.html#about_breast_cancer

For more than 20 years, women and charitable organizations around the world have joined together each October to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Over the last two decades, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has done much to raise money and awareness levels for the disease. In our opinion, however, the event has focused too much attention on promoting the early detection of breast cancer while devoting little energy to preventing women from getting the disease in the first place.

To prevent a disease, one must understand what causes it. This is the truth that Dr. Lee understood. It was Dr. Lee's desire to know the causes behind breast cancer that led him to write his book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer. If you have not read this groundbreaking document, we encourage you to do so this October. Here is an overview of some of the central points he made in the book.

• Despite billions of dollars spent on breast cancer research, a woman's chance of surviving a malignant breast tumor has changed little over the last 50 years. It may come as a shock, but a woman's chance of surviving a malignant breast tumor today is about one in three...roughly the same rate as five decades ago. Research studies on mortality rates have shown that radiation therapy, tamoxifen, and chemotherapy are not saving more lives. At best, they prolong some lives by a few months or years, but often at the expense of painful or even deadly side effects. Moreover, the number of breast cancer cases per thousand women is much higher today than it was 50 or even 30 years ago.

• While breast cancer is rarely caused by a single factor, unopposed estrogens play a central role in the formation of the disease. For decades, researchers have known that excess estrogen (i.e., estrogen that is unopposed by adequate progesterone and other hormones) increases a woman's risk for endometrial cancer. Recent research has revealed that it also plays a key role in breast cancer formation. Unopposed estrogens can break down into quinone estrogens that react with and damage the DNA in breast cells. These damaged cells can become cancer cells if the body's various defense mechanisms do not recognize and destroy them. In addition, unopposed estrogen can activate the Bcl-2 gene that frequently induces cancer-causing cell proliferation.
  
  Unfortunately, it has become common in developed countries for both women and men to have high levels of unopposed estrogens. This condition, which Dr. Lee called estrogen dominance, has been fueled by changes in our diets and lifestyles. Another cause is our growing exposure to the estrogen-like substances–known as xenoestrogens–found in plastics, fertilizers, pesticides, and other manmade products. Unless we address estrogen dominance, breast cancer risks are likely to remain elevated.

• Progesterone plays a critical role in countering the negative effects of unopposed estrogens. In the body, progesterone neutralizes many of the effects of unopposed estrogen that can lead to breast cancer. It decreases the cell proliferation that is induced by estrogen. In addition, it down-regulates the cancer-causing Bcl-2 gene and up-regulates gene p53, a gene that promotes the death (known as apoptosis) of tumor cells.
  
  Given these findings, having adequate progesterone can be critical to preventing breast cancer. Unfortunately, progesterone levels among many women in developed countries are below normal, healthy levels. This is especially the case among older women and those who use conventional hormone replacement therapies (HRT). This is why Dr. Lee recommended natural progesterone supplementation for women suffering from estrogen dominance, not to mention the avoidance of HRT.

• Besides maintaining healthy progesterone levels and avoiding HRT, women should take steps to reduce other breast cancer risk factors. These include reducing our exposure to xenoestrogens, maintaining healthy levels of other hormones such as DHEA and melatonin, reducing our intake of sugars and unhealthy fats, and managing stress levels through exercise and adequate rest.

Throughout his career as a physician and researcher, Dr. Lee was passionate about finding the causes of breast cancer and the other cancers that women face. It is therefore fitting that What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer was the last book that he completed before he passed away in 2003. The words with which he opens the book speak volumes about his commitment:

"The book is dedicated to all the women who have lost their lives to breast cancer, and to all women currently fighting breast cancer."