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Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:59 pm  |
I'm not going to argue with you Lacy, but here's some information to consider:
I think it's fairly safe to say that given women are told to have annual mammograms beginning at age 40, if they followed that advice and they were still having mammos at age 60, they would have had at least 20 by that time. Now considering operator error, overlapping tissue, bad angle, false positives, need for repeat mammos in six months if something suspicious is found, many many women will have many more than 1 mammo each year. Extrapolate that figure out over twenty years and it could be entirely possible that a woman *could* have as many as 30 in a twenty year span (maybe even more.) Okay so let's compare the exposure a woman receives to that of a typical chest x-ray. But according to the FDA (your source), "The lifetime risk of cancer increases as a person undergoes more X-ray exams and the accumulated radiation dose gets higher. The lifetime risk is higher for a person who received X-rays at a younger age than for someone who receives them at an older age. Women are at a somewhat higher lifetime risk than men for developing cancer from radiation after receiving the same exposures at the same ages."
Do you realize that "mammograms use ionizing radiation at a relatively high dose, which can contribute to the mutations that can lead to breast cancer?" Also, do ou realize that you can get as much radiation from one mammogram as you would from 1,000 chest X-rays? Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly, which can lead to a dangerous spread of cancerous cells, should they exist. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, one of the world's top cancer experts, "The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's screening."
In all of the years of Walk for a Cure, Pink Ribbons and Breast Cancer Awareness month, I have seen little to no progress in the way of PREVENTION. Sadly many women *think* that mammography equates prevention, when it does not. Its a false security blanket veiled with false promises. Since prevention is what this thread was intended for, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am going to post Dr. Christiane Northrups advice. She is an amazing thoughtful physician who understands the importance of the emotional and spiritual connection we must have to ourselves to prevent and perhaps even cure this disease.
Dr. Northrup’s Top 10 Health Tips for Women:
1. Get enough sleep: Proper sleep is essential for optimal health, and it helps metabolize stress hormones better than any other known entity.
2. Meditate for at least 3-12 minutes each day, to calm and soothe your mind. Begin your day with a positive affirmation.
3. Exercise regularly. Ideally, aim for a comprehensive program that includes high intensity exercises and strength training along with core-building exercises and stretching.
4. Breathe properly. When you breathe in and out fully through your nose, you activate your parasympathetic rest-and-restore nervous system, which expands the lower lobes of your lungs, and therefore engages the vagus nerves.
5. “Relax the back of your throat. So many women have thyroid problems – it’s from chronic tension here; because you’re pretty sure your feminine voice isn’t going to be heard. It hasn’t been heard for 5,000 years. You’re not alone. But it’s being heard now,” she says.
6. Practice self love and unconditional acceptance. Dr. Northrup suggests looking at yourself in the mirror at least once a day, and saying: ‘I love you. I really love you.’
“After 21 days, something will happen to you. You’ll see a part of you that looks back at you, and you begin to believe it. “I love you. I really love you.”
7. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Get your vitamin D level checked. Ideally, you’ll want your levels within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml. According to Dr. Northrup:
“Sunlight is not the enemy. It’s lack of antioxidants in your diet that is the enemy. Natural light is a lovely source of vitamin D; you can’t overdose. But many people – to get their levels of vitamin D into optimal – are going to need 5,000 to 10, 000 international units per day. So, vitamin D is important. You can get your level drawn through MyMedLab.com without a doctor’s prescription.” Just remember that if you take high doses of oral vitamin D, you also need to boost your intake of vitamin K2. For more information on this, please see my previous article, What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium.
8. Cultivate an active social life; enjoy some face-to-face time with likeminded people.
9. Epsom salt baths (20 minutes, three times per week) are a simple, inexpensive way to get magnesium into your body.
10. Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, before you go to bed, write down five things that you are grateful for, or five things that brought you pleasure.
“Remember: every emotion is associated with a biochemical reality in your body. So, you want to bring in the emotions of generosity, pleasure, receiving, and open-heartedness. The same things that create heart health create breast health.”
Here's to wellness ~ Aprile |
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Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:26 pm |
I saw Christine (After a talk and during a discussion of health for a friend and other things) and she is a light. Good for you Aprile for posting this. So true. Christine is extremely prevention oriented and so pro-women/pre-health/pro-nutrition. We all (should) want a Christine in our corner.
Sis |
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Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:30 pm |
| aprile wrote: |
I'm not going to argue with you Lacy, but here's some information to consider:
I think it's fairly safe to say that given women are told to have annual mammograms beginning at age 40, if they followed that advice and they were still having mammos at age 60, they would have had at least 20 by that time. Now considering operator error, overlapping tissue, bad angle, false positives, need for repeat mammos in six months if something suspicious is found, many many women will have many more than 1 mammo each year. Extrapolate that figure out over twenty years and it could be entirely possible that a woman *could* have as many as 30 in a twenty year span (maybe even more.) |
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended reducing the number of mammograms for women, but not all organizations (such as the American Cancer Society) have accepted these new guidelines. The Task Force recommended against routine mammography to screen asymptomatic women aged 40 to 49 years; for women between the ages of 50 and 74, they have recommended routine mammograms once every two years in the absence of symptoms. These are actually very similar (but not identical) to recommendations adopted in Canada by the Canadian Cancer Society:
http://www.cancer.ca/en/prevention-and-screening/early-detection-and-screening/screening/screening-for-breast-cancer/?region=bc
| aprile wrote: |
| Okay so let's compare the exposure a woman receives to that of a typical chest x-ray. Do you realize that "mammograms use ionizing radiation at a relatively high dose, which can contribute to the mutations that can lead to breast cancer?" Also, do ou realize that you can get as much radiation from one mammogram as you would from 1,000 chest X-rays? |
One single chest x-ray typically gives a dose of about 0.01 rem (10 millirem); 1 mammogram (2 views) gives a radiation dose of 0.072 rem (72 millirems) according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I don't know where you found that comparative statistic, but it doesn't appear to be accurate. The correct comparison is closer to 6-7, not 1,000. I do know that radiation exposure from mammograms has decreased over the years as the technology has improved; not sure if that partly explains your error.
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/around-us/doses-daily-lives.html
| aprile wrote: |
| Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly, which can lead to a dangerous spread of cancerous cells, should they exist. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, one of the world's top cancer experts, "The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's screening." |
Spreading cancer cells? An old myth, according to this:
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-myths
| aprile wrote: |
In all of the years of Walk for a Cure, Pink Ribbons and Breast Cancer Awareness month, I have seen little to no progress in the way of PREVENTION. Sadly many women *think* that mammography equates prevention, when it does not. Its a false security blanket veiled with false promises. Since prevention is what this thread was intended for, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am going to post Dr. Christiane Northrups advice.
Dr. Northrup’s Top 10 Health Tips for Women:
1. Get enough sleep.
2. Meditate for at least 3-12 minutes each day.
3. Exercise regularly.
4. Breathe properly.
5. Relax the back of your throat.
6. Practice self love and unconditional acceptance.
7. Optimize your vitamin D levels.
8. Cultivate an active social life.
9. Epsom salt baths (20 minutes, three times per week).
10. Keep a gratitude journal.
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Agreed; strictly speaking, mammogram is a diagnostic test which can detect the early stages of breast cancer but it is not truly preventative. Honestly, except for the 3rd item (exercise regularly) the tips you list are complete nonsense. Many of them imply that breast cancer development has an emotional or psychological basis which, in effect, blames the woman for getting the disease. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the other 9 tips (and I don't care how "intuitive" Dr. Northrup is; she is spouting pseudoscience IMO). I prefer the preventative measures recommended by the ACS which I posted earlier (since they are based on actual evidence). You can lower your risk (not prevent) breast cancer somewhat by:
1. Limiting weight increases.
2. Eliminating or restricting alcohol consumption.
3. Engaging in moderate to vigourous exercise.
4. Eating a diet that is rich in vegetables, fruit, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy products.
5. Avoiding or limiting hormone therapy after menopause.
6. Don't smoke.
7. Be vigilant about detection and see your doctor if you notice any changes in your breasts. |
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Born 1953; Blonde-Blue; Normal skin |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:34 am |
| Quote: |
| Agreed; strictly speaking, mammogram is a diagnostic test which can detect the early stages of breast cancer but it is not truly preventative. |
Not only is it not preventive, it's not necessary. Seriously once a year beginning at age 40 or even earlier if there's a *family mhistory*? And then as mentioned, repeat scans (compressions) to due all of the things I mentioned???
| Quote: |
| Honestly, except for the 3rd item (exercise regularly) the tips you list are complete nonsense. Many of them imply that breast cancer development has an emotional or psychological basis which, in effect, blames the woman for getting the disease. |
So what you're basically saying than is that we human beings are completely off the hook and that we should take no responsiblity for our emotional health? It's as if you see no connection at all to diseaase and women who put everyone ahead of them, including their jobs, their children, their spouse, and leave themselves last. There is absolute evidence of the mind-body connection Lacy, you obviously just choose not to believe it, so I won't even bother scouring the internet looking for sources you won't validate since they won't be FDA or U.S. Government certified. Have you NEVER heard of instances where a physician gives a patient just months to live and that patient changes their life and survives despite all odds? How do *you* think that happens?
Hell, if there is no such thing as the mind-body connection, we might as eat whatever the heck we want, drink alcohol to excess, forget about exercise too, which is also a great stress reliever and stress has been proven to manifest itself in symptoms, forget about optimizing Vitamin D levels because we can just continue to lather ourselves in chemicals to protect our skin, remain in toxic relationships and just to go hell in a handbag! IMO, disregarding the mind-body connection is a seriously flawed view. Its as though we don't *need* to own anything and are mere robots. It's not about blame Lacy, it's about getting women to become engaged in their own personal health plan and helping them to understand their own self worth instead of putting everyone else ahead of them. In all the years of Breast Cancer Research, we really haven't come any closer to a *cure* for the disease, but we have seen newer and better 3D radiation mammography machines. I applaud Dr. Northrup for taking women's health to the forefront of *awareness*.
I love this quote by Dr. Northrup, which just about sums up *most* women:
Energy dysfunction often arise when a woman is confused about how to use both her loving (fourth chakra) and her creative (second chakra) energies optimally. The major conflict within women is that most of us still believe that in order to be loved, to receive love, and to guarantee that someone will need us, we must care for loved ones' external physical needs.
~ Aprile |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:06 am |
| aprile wrote: |
Not only is it not preventive, it's not necessary. |
How can you say it's not necessary? If my five friends had not have had a mammogram, they would not have discovered their cancer - and there's a good chance they would not have survived.
Incidentally, in Australia free mammograms are given to women aged 50 - 69 every two years.
Here is another viewpoint on Christiane Northrup from Science-Based Medicine. It appears she believes in astrology, angels, mysticism, feng shui, and Tarot cards. She has this to say about her divorce:
Further info on thermography:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/dr-christiane-northrup-and-breast-thermography-the-opportunistic-promotion-of-quackery/ |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:52 am |
| Quote: |
| How can you say it's not necessary? If my five friends had not have had a mammogram, they would not have discovered their cancer - and there's a good chance they would not have survived. |
The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a research paper that studied 30 years of mammography statistics, in a paper titled "Effect of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast-Cancer Incidence" The author's conclusion: "Despite substantial increases in the number of cases of early-stage breast cancer detected, screening mammography has only marginally reduced the rate at which women present with advanced cancer. Although it is not certain which women have been affected, the imbalance suggests that there is substantial overdiagnosis, accounting for nearly a third of all newly diagnosed breast cancers, and that screening is having, at best, only a small effect on the rate of death from breast cancer."
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1206809
Despite what you think about Dr. Northrup, she is engaging women to take an active role in their own health and not leaving them to *think* that mammography will save them. That's my point. |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:36 am |
“Practice self love and unconditional acceptance. Dr. Northrup suggests looking at yourself in the mirror at least once a day, and saying: ‘I love you. I really love you.’ “After 21 days, something will happen to you. You’ll see a part of you that looks back at you, and you begin to believe it. “I love you. I really love you.”
This is actually something she’s sharing from Louise Hay (who incidentally has put it in Heal Your Life etc). I know that Hays House publishes Christine’s materials so perhaps it shouldn’t come as such a shock, and I do believe there is value in doing this but just wanted to share that I do not believe Christine is by any means the originator of this tip.
Also Epsom Salts are magnesium sulphate which is different than what magnesium most people are lacking in. Its not to say Epsom salt baths aren’t beneficial – they are fantastic for detoxing the body but the idea that a person can gain all their magnesium requirements is a little bit untrue here. I am aware that the most common study that suggests magnesium can be absorbed was by Rosemary something or other and there is already suggestions that this was flawed but other than that there are few studies proving that the body can absorb magnesium through the skin as Rosemary would have people believe. For a true Epsom salt bath you are usually required to have at least 2-3 cups of Epsom salt in a bath, and you are supposed to go to be immediately after for up to 3 hours because you will sweat toxins out. |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:04 am |
I have a yearly mammogram and I have since 2004. I will continue to do so along with self-screening and my yearly visit. I will take the risk of the exposure for however long I need to. It is easier to discourage the mammogram if you have not had a need for it.
I found my lump, went in to my doc and had a mammogram plus ultrasound. Now I have a baseline mammogram to compare to every year. It isn't a cure all but a reassurance. One more weapon in my arsenal.
Early prevention plus due diligence saves lives.
I know plenty of people that lived the "perfect" lifestyle for prevention and it didn't prevent them from cancer. You cannot shoebox cancer, it is micro-managing at best. My mother as a hospice nurse can tell you that. All walks of life, manners of health and lifestyle, it does not discriminate.
Those things can help, but some more of a mental compass than anything.
Loving yourself is ideal but so is being loving and compassionate to others as well.
And as a minister and therapist, I try to practice what I preach.  |
_________________
Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:03 pm |
I looked at your link and saw a young 28-year old woman who discoverd she had stage 1 breast cancer, decided to have a prophylactic mastectomy and chemo with her surgeons blessing?? Just what exactly do you find positive about that??? Was it her upbeat attitude?? What? I honestly will never understand this way of thinking -- NEVER.
Which brings me back to the original intent of this thread. PREVENTION. I realize that everyone reading this thread may not think the same way as I do, or even as you do. But, this video begs to ask the question - where has all the money gone from all the breast cancer walks, all the pink ribbons and all the private donations? When a young woman of 28 feels she must sacrifice a body part to save her life, I think we should be ashamed. I have to assume she is not yet a mother and now will never know what its like to nurse a baby.
This is precisely WHY more research $$$ needs to be put into how do we prevent this disease from happening in the first place!! Also, to study protcols like the one I mentioned so that the importance of optimizing certain minerals in the body is not overlooked or undermined. The efficacy of the protcol such as the one I mentioned from Dr. Mark Sircus site should be studied since most people know nothing about how certain deficiencies can lead to illness. Spending money on education, finding ways to prevent pre-cancerous lesions, DCIS or fibroycystic breast disease from becomming cancer. NOT more research into treatments like 3D radiation and chemotherapy drugs. This does not have to happen.... But, what I mentioned will NEVER happen. They want to keep feeding the big cancer machine. That is WHY I thank God for people like Dr. Sircus, Dr. Brownstein, Dr. Northrup and many others for doing the work and spreading the good word.
I am quite frankly sickened by this video.
~ Aprile |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:16 pm |
Aprile - when surgeons, hospitals etc buy the equipment, drugs and other modalities to treat cancer patients the cost is astronomical and must be paid for by the cancer patients and insurance companies by way of the treatments they are assigned to have. This is a no-brainer and of course you realize this as do most of us.
When you examine this reality outside of the patient care aspect; cancer treatment is big business. If an actual cure or slew of alternative preventive modalities were highly researched, validated and publicized the amount of patients needed for Tx could reduce dramatically and then what would happen to the cancer dollars that used to be generated via the machines, the chemotherapies, the treatment centers - on and on? How would that effect the manufacturers of the radiation technology, chemotherapies, the oncology profession and other things.
I'm not trying to sound conspiracy but this is a reality that is worth intellectual discussion. It seems the "search for a cure" may be more about the search for continuing to reseach ways to treat existing cancer Vs cancer prevention. In this vein I think we are all responsible to do our own research and our own cancer preventive means. I think this is what Deb was referring to way back in the beginning. Her own experience rather validates this. |
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Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:20 pm |
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We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 5:51 am |
| Absolutely Sis I do know that all of those things will NEVER happen!!! That is why I question I abore the b.c. walks, pink ribbons, etc. I honestly *think* they are mere *feel good* events for survivors and their families to make them *feel* like they are doing something when nothing could be further from the truth. I also question where have all the donations gone? IMO in order to protect your health, if you are ever diagnosed with breast cancer you must always question, question question and then seek a second, third or even fourth opinion!!! Stage 1 breast cancer is NEVER a call for mastectomy. OMG! Is THIS what modern medicine has done for women?? PREVENTION ladies!!! If there's no research available, do your own, listen to your body and find a practioner who is willing to work with you to preserve your breasts and your health and one who can offer you better options than this one. ~ Aprile |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 6:10 am |
I find it difficult to call having a complete mastectomy, radiation and chemo at the age of 28 a positive journey.
The young woman who went through all of this had this to say about it:
"Unfortunately, with many cancers — but with breast cancer in particular — there’s never a moment when they say, ‘You’re cured,’ because there’s always a small chance that it can come back.” |
_________________
Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 6:18 am |
Aprile - cancer does not discriminate. Yes, of course, it's wise to look after your health and have a positive attitude. But if you think that is all it takes to avoid illness, you're mistaken. Look at Linda McCartney. Years ago I worked on an alternative lifestyle magazine. We advertised pyramids to set up in your lounge room to meditate in. Everyone that worked there was into organic food long before anybody else knew what it even was. But that didn't stop five of the staff from contracting cancer - two died.
Maybe you don't appreciate the stories of people who have battled cancer and won. But if I was bleeding from the breast and had a family history of breast cancer I would take the advice of a specialist. If you're just happy looking in the mirror and saying, "I love you, I really love you" - fine. But it does make me wonder why you are here worrying about your sagging and wrinkles (which are so unimportant). Why not look in the mirror, look at your wrinkles and sagging and say, "I love you, I really love you" - and leave nature to take care of itself. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:54 am |
If my mother had not had her regular mammogram she would now be dead. In the exam they found a small questionable lump. They did the usual tests and found it was malignant,she asked the question "was it a mouse or a tiger?' Reply a " a real tiger!"
In the event it was, and it was her suggestion for a mastectomy,(Not the oncologist, he would have waited till after a biopsy ,but she wanted him to have the permission to do so at the time of the op,) they found it had spread to her lymph nodes and so she had a mastectomy. It wasnt oestrogen dependant so tamoxephen was not an option.
She has now been cancer free for 3 years. Thank bloody goodness for regular mammograms.
BTW she has lived an active and healthy lifestyle and does not drink. She is also a GP.
She also had a good state of mind calling the tumour "an alien".
She did not stand in front of the mirror claiming self love, she was too busy for that.
Thank goodness we have an NHS that did the job, we were treated with respect, knowledge, and kindness
and met others who had the exact same treatment and we were all appreciative of it.
Not once did anyone have any complaints and we would have known, we had lots of time to talk to other families.
Not one was resentful of their "national insurance" contributions which pay for our NHS service, we were all very grateful to have this where whatever treatment was needed was given. This is not a marxist state, we have a tory/libdem government and even they do not wish to dismantle the NHS. |
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46 got (PMD,Caci,QuasarMD,Tria , skin spatula) Using, environ , myfawnie serums, lacsal, retinol, GHk probably more but too embarrased to say |
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havana8
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Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3451
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:42 am |
I have a hard time seeing Emily's journey as a positive experience although it is positive that she's alive. It's positive that she's a fighter--as she says about her blog, It's for the kickers, the screamers, and the drinkers  --and healthy and brave of her to want to share something so personal to help others. I find her candor, such as in this blog post of hers, refreshing:
Just girls
http://rtonj.blogspot.ca/2013/09/just-girls.html
Regarding the comment that cancer is big business, it's hard to disagree.
Still in the Trenches: A New Book Examines the Toll of the 'War on Cancer'
While the 40-year "war on cancer" has failed to find a cure, it has succeeded in creating a massive cancer industry into which billions of dollars are invested every year. Leaf argues that this "strange, dispiriting, dysfunctional" cancer culture has actually stood in the way of progress by stifling innovation. He argues that the cancer industry, that tense crossroads between pharmacology, public policy, and corporate interests, is fundamentally misdirected in its goals and guiding principles.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-flynn/still-in-the-trenches-a-new-book-examines-the-toll-of-the-war-on-cancer_b_3645198.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy%20Living
A more expansive article about the same book:
World War Cancer
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/07/world-war-cancer.html
The Big Business of Breast Cancer
http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/breast-cancer-business-scams
Sylvia, I'm glad your Mom is doing well and that she was well-supported throughout her care. |
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havana8
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Joined: 09 Sep 2005
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havana8
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Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3451
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 1:09 pm |
Here is something everyone everywhere can do if so inclined--join the international HOW Study:
What is the Health of Women (HOW) Study?
The HOW Study will track hundreds of thousands of women (and men) over time to learn what causes breast cancer, and how to prevent it. HOW will also study long-term breast cancer survivors in order to get a better understanding of how they are beating the odds. This is the first time a study of this size and magnitude is collecting data entirely online. We are excited by this approach because it will allow us to ask every question any of us (including you) ever wanted answered. We believe this is the first study that will allow the participants to submit questions they want studied, and we are eager to hear what you want us to do!
Once you sign up to become a member of the HOW Study, you will receive periodic questionnaires that will ask questions about different health and exposure topics. Each new questionnaire will be released in a "Call to Action" email and will address a specific topic, such as reproductive health, cancer history (for those with breast cancer), environmental exposures, and much, much more. Each questionnaire should take about 60-90 minutes to fill out, and you will get a new one every three to four months.
Why is HOW important?
The majority of women who get breast cancer have none of the known risk factors. This tells us that despite all the research that has been done, we still do not know what causes breast cancer or how to prevent it. It also tells us that we need to look more broadly for hints we may have missed in the past. The HOW Study will allow us to search for, and find, these “hidden” risks and gain new insights into what is causing breast cancer. Because we will have a large and diverse cohort of both breast cancer survivors and those who have never had the disease, we will be able to explore both unknown risk factors for the disease and factors that contribute to long-term survivorship.
Who is HOW?
HOW is all about you and what you can do to end breast cancer. HOW is also about the researchers who can use this data to have a better understanding of ways we can prevent breast cancer. HOW is all of us, working together, to bring an end to this disease. The HOW Study is being conducted at the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, in collaboration with City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. This collaboration combines experts in the fields of cancer research and cohort studies to assure the success of the HOW Study.
Here's the link: https://www.healthofwomenstudy.org/AboutHow.aspx
Also part of HOW is their Collateral Damage Project to document collateral damage questions, topics and experiences related to cancer treatment: https://www.questionthecure.com
Changing the Paradigm: Crowdsourcing Research
http://blog.dslrf.org/?p=1638 |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 1:59 pm |
Hey there...
Since this is first and foremost a beauty site, And it's Breast Cancer Awareness month... I thought I'd share this video...
There are other companies helping women in this area... and that is.. To help them feel beautiful after they've been mutiliated... I think this is pretty awesome. Here's just one story. I've seen some amazing photos... you can find more on youtube, and pinterest...and such...
WARNING... BARE BREASTS...
http://youtu.be/pGbWH-hy4UM |
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Claudia of FlexEffect... 43, fair skin, occasional breakout, Using ECO FROG (my own=disclaimer), and TrueScience (I also sell this)... Happy with that...Come visit on FB! |
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:20 pm |
| aprile wrote: |
I looked at your link and saw a young 28-year old woman who discoverd she had stage 1 breast cancer, decided to have a prophylactic mastectomy and chemo with her surgeons blessing?? Just what exactly do you find positive about that??? Was it her upbeat attitude?? What? I honestly will never understand this way of thinking -- NEVER.
Which brings me back to the original intent of this thread. PREVENTION. I realize that everyone reading this thread may not think the same way as I do, or even as you do. But, this video begs to ask the question - where has all the money gone from all the breast cancer walks, all the pink ribbons and all the private donations? When a young woman of 28 feels she must sacrifice a body part to save her life, I think we should be ashamed. I have to assume she is not yet a mother and now will never know what its like to nurse a baby.
This is precisely WHY more research $$$ needs to be put into how do we prevent this disease from happening in the first place!! Also, to study protcols like the one I mentioned so that the importance of optimizing certain minerals in the body is not overlooked or undermined. The efficacy of the protcol such as the one I mentioned from Dr. Mark Sircus site should be studied since most people know nothing about how certain deficiencies can lead to illness. Spending money on education, finding ways to prevent pre-cancerous lesions, DCIS or fibroycystic breast disease from becomming cancer. NOT more research into treatments like 3D radiation and chemotherapy drugs. This does not have to happen.... But, what I mentioned will NEVER happen. They want to keep feeding the big cancer machine. That is WHY I thank God for people like Dr. Sircus, Dr. Brownstein, Dr. Northrup and many others for doing the work and spreading the good word.
I am quite frankly sickened by this video. ~ Aprile |
I find the video both positive and disheartening. Positive in the sense that she was fully aware of her options and made the best choice for her, with support of medical specialists and hopefully other important people in her life. She is now alive, happy with her choices, and appears to be recovering. What is disheartening is the simple fact that even young women get breast cancer, and in order to defeat it harsh measures need to be taken. That is the best modern medicine can do; surgery, radiation, chemotherapy (or some combination of the 3). Further research into causes and prevention is needed; maybe some day there will be better solutions, but for now, this is the best science can do given the level of knowledge.
Aprile, who are you to judge another person's decision? The young woman in the video obviously made her decisions based on what she believed were best for her, after discussing it with medical personnel. She has a family history of breast cancer which may mean a genetic/inherited mutation which may cause breast cancer. The mastectomy wasn't absolutely necessary (it was described as prophylactic), but it was what she chose to do and was within her comfort level. Stage 1 breast cancer is not just pre-cancerous lesions, DCIS or fibrocyctic "disease" (which isn't a disease BTW); it is cancer. Either she had a tumor that was confined to the breast and was 2 cm or smaller in size (stage 1A) or she had Stage 1B, where a small cluster of cells (0.2 mm - 2.0 mm in size) were found in the lymph nodes (possibly with a tumor less than 2 cm in the breast). Either way, the choice of treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation) is hers to make.
As "sickening" as the treatment is to you, she is cancer free (for now) and will continue with follow-up examinations to determine if she remains that way. Since breast cancer in young women is so aggressive and often fatal, I completely understand her decision. Her doctor offered full support, so I am sure it was the right thing to do in her case. Prophylactic mastectomy reduces the risk of cancer returning (as much as 90% reduced rate) so no, I am not "ashamed" in any way at her sacrifice. BTW, what makes you think she wants to have children in the future? What's wrong with alternative feeding choices, if she ever does decide to have a child?
Honestly, who really cares about breasts; bits of hanging flesh which are completely unnecessary to the individual's survival or true happiness. She did mention reconstruction, so I would imagine that includes an implant. If so, then her outward appearance remains the same to the general public and her chances for a long life increase, with no further worry about cancer returning. I find your statements regarding the significance of a breast perplexing. After all, as mature and grown women haven't we gotten past the superficial and immature attitude that breasts are a necessary part of our womanhood and identity?
Dr. Sircus, Dr. Brownstein, Dr. Northrup and many others in the alternative world have contributed nothing to furthering our understanding of what causes breast cancer or what prevents it. They have done no laboratory research, run no clinical trials, contributed no new literature to the medical world and have saved no lives. They offer a rehash of others true work in the field and often offer unproven treatments which have no scientific basis. They may be your personal heroes but have no credibility in the real world of cancer medicine. You can't prevent something unless you completely understand the cause(s) of it. Your internet heroes have added nothing to the medical knowledge and understanding of breast cancer or cancer in general. They may disseminate information discovered by others, but nothing is novel and little is medically proven. You may champion the treatment of Dr. Sircus and state that it "should be studied" but I would counter that argument by saying it should have been properly tested for efficacy prior to being offered to the general public (because that's the way real science is done).
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-what-causes
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/Patient/page2
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/breast/HealthProfessional |
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havana8
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havana8
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Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3451
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Sat Oct 12, 2013 3:07 pm |
| Lacy53 wrote: |
| Honestly, who really cares about breasts; bits of hanging flesh which are completely unnecessary to the individual's survival or true happiness. She did mention reconstruction, so I would imagine that includes an implant. If so, then her outward appearance remains the same to the general public and her chances for a long life increase, with no further worry about cancer returning. I find your statements regarding the significance of a breast perplexing. After all, as mature and grown women haven't we gotten past the superficial and immature attitude that breasts are a necessary part of our womanhood and identity? |
See here for her update on her implants: http://rtonj.blogspot.ca/search?q=implant
We're all different so I wouldn't expect we would all feel the same about losing a breast or two:
From "no big deal" to "losing oneself": different meanings of mastectomy
Fallbjörk U, Salander P, Rasmussen BH. | Source: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: Because of early detection and advanced treatment options, more women with breast cancer survive after mastectomy and thus have to face the choice of living with or without a reconstructed breast for many years to come.
OBJECTIVE: This article investigates these women's narratives about the impact of mastectomy on their lives, as well as their reflections on breast reconstruction.
METHODS: Fifteen women were strategically chosen from a previous population-based study on mastectomy. They were contacted for further exploration in thematic narrative-inspired interviews 4.5 years after mastectomy.
RESULTS: Three types of storylines were identified. In the first storyline, the mastectomy was described as "no big deal"; losing a breast did not disturb the women's view of themselves as women, and breast reconstruction was not even worth consideration. In the second storyline, the women described the mastectomy as shattering their identity. Losing a breast implied losing oneself as a sexual being, a woman, and a person. The third storyline fell in between the other two; the sense of femininity was wounded, but not to the extent that they felt lost as women.
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the experience of mastectomy due to breast cancer is very much individual and contextual. Losing a breast may be of minor or major importance.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Healthcare practitioners should be attentive to how the women themselves experience the personal meaning of losing a breast and guard against vague preconceptions based on the breast-sexuality-femininity discourse and its connection to what the patient needs.
PMID: 22067698
ETA: Things We Aren’t Supposed to Say About Mastectomies, Reconstruction & Breasts, Breast Free |
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Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:43 am |
And then there's the choices-to-be-made *after* the fact of being diagnosed.
Dreadful realities any way you look at *it* imo.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/health/double-mastectomy-rates-up/index.html
Why More Women Are Choosing Double Mastectomies
By Allison Gilbert - CNN - May 14, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
--Study: Rate of women with early stage cancer choosing double mastectomies rose 150%
--Availability of genetic testing, - Better plastic surgery options may be behind the increase
--"Pink ribbon" culture, also, may be spreading awareness about women's survival options
(Comment Section/Conversation is, also a worthwhile read > insights from those w/1st hand exp, and some w/ other thoughtful perspectives)
E.G. > “…. What about the insurance issue. If I am dx with cancer in one breast...I might go ahead and have the other removed as I don't know what my insurance situation would be, should I find cancer in that other breast in 5-10 years. Other women, in countries with national health care, don't face those very real financial concerns…” |
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Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:00 am |
Thats so true Kath, with my mother we didnt have to worry about cost at all it was truly what was in HER best interest. And for that I will be eternally grateful and feel blessed that we live here!!!
Thank you Havana for those kind words! |
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