HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

WHAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER?

What causes breast cancer? If I could answer that question with accuracy I would be a wealthy woman! Unfortunately I nor anyone else can give you a good answer to that question. A few years ago I read an article in a medical publication that said, "Many factors can increase the chances of developing breast cancer.  Some include a family history of breast cancer, excessive alcohol use, and being overweight or obese...."

I am writing this post today because of my personal experience.  As of this December, I will be a 33-year-survivor of breast cancer.  I am telling you this to let you know early detection is key to survival and it is important to do self-exams, have recommended mammograms, and contact your doctor with any questions or suspicions.  I am sharing this with you to let you know I was only 40-years-old and I did not have any of the reasons listed above.  No one in my family had ever had breast cancer at that time, I had never drank alcohol (or smoked), and I was and always had been slender. So I was surprised to have breast cancer and to be facing a bilateral mastectomy.  I want others to be aware and check themselves regularly. I also want people to know that with early detection, breast cancer does not have to be fatal.  Chances of survival are good.

• The most common symptom is a new lump or mass of tissue in the breast (I had a history of fibroid tumors which can make self detection difficult at times).
  Here are some things to look for to protect yourself: If you feel a new lump, contact your doctor right away.  Do not wait around to see if it will go away.
• Unusual swelling of any part of the breast.
• Skin irritation of the breast with no noticeable reason.
• Pain in the breast or nipple.
• Nipple turning inward.
• Nipple discharge (excluding breast milk)

Any of these symptoms should be reported to the doctor right away.  Don't put off contacting your doctor. Breast cancer does not disappear and the sooner it is treated, the better your chances of survival.

Breast cancer usually occurs in women because of the female hormones but men can also have breast cancer.

Note: This is a repost of an older article. Some things may have changed but the basics have not. 

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

Happy Mother's Day

WISHING YOU HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN 2020

SUPPLEMENTS

As you can see below, this is an old article I am reposting. The importance of this article has recently had a bright light shined on it in my world. My 72-year-old husband kept falling because his legs would just fold up under him. About a week and a half ago he fell three times in one day. My son and grandson had to carry him to his bed because his legs were too weak to hold him up even with their help. He ended up getting an ambulance ride to the hospital where he stayed for 5 days and was then released to rehab for therapy. Tests showed him to be very low in sodium, potassium, and his adrenal gland function was low. He is a COPD patient and didn't like to eat because it was hard to eat and breathe at the same time. He had been relying on Ensure Plus, a good supplement but not a complete diet for the average person. His leg muscles had almost atrophied from lack of use. He was walking very little because of the falls. Long story short, with three good meals a day and extensive therapy he is now walking with a walker and/or a cane. We are made to take care of our bodies with food. It is important to eat a balanced diet (avoid fad diets, they always leave out something your body needs) and get some exercise if you want your body to function as God intended.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Some supplements, vitamins, etc may be needed to keep your body operating efficiently.  However, I do not recommend taking such products without discussing it with your doctor.  While the proper supplements, vitamins, minerals, etc can be very helpful, sometimes they can be harmful or simply a waste of money.  It is best to get what your body needs from food whenever possible.

I qualify that statement by saying I was on supplements for years and my doctors were aware of it and told me to take them.  Thus back to my point; I am not saying don't take them, I am saying discuss it with your doctor first.  If your doctor is one who won't even discuss such matters, perhaps you need a new doctor!

An example of harmful effects is zinc.  While zinc may be very helpful in some situations, it may actually hasten the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms.  I am not talking about taking a zinc tablet occasionally but researchers think that a buildup of zinc may cause those prone to Alzheimer's or in the early stages of the disease, to have their symptoms brought on more quickly.  Laboratory experiments have shown that zinc can transform the protein in brain cells into abnormal tangles indistinguishable from those of Alzheimer's.  Other studies have also shown that large-dose zinc supplements may bring on the progression of memory loss and other signs of the disease.

Again, based on my own experience, I no longer take supplements.  Because of having so much of my colon removed, I don't absorb them.  When I am low on a vitamin, mineral, etc, I have to have a shot.  So no matter how many high-powered supplement tablets I would take, I wouldn't absorb them enough to benefit.  So it would be a waste of money.

The supplement business in America today is big business.  Don't be fooled, discuss the situation with your doctor and go by what he/she recommends. And remember this, those who are trying to sell you supplements are usually making money off what you purchase.

file photo

STRAWBERRIES - DID YOU KNOW?

A girl from my old school posted this on her facebook page.

Not sure if baking changes the nutritional value but a medium strawberry has less than 1 carb.

PAD AND SMOKING

A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, June 7, 2011 found that when researchers tracked more than 39,000 women for over 12 years they found that smoking led to a 10-fold increase in the risk for PAD - Peripheral arterial disease.  PAD is a serious disorder that occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the lower extremities, namely feet and legs.  Stopping smoking lowered the risk but the risk is still greater than those who have never smoked.  Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are a smoker you need to do yourself a big favor and quit!  As the wife/caregiver of a man who smoked for many years and now struggles daily to breathe because of COPD, I highly recommend you stop smoking now if you enjoy life.  I can promise you, your life will be diminished from cigarette smoking.  Of course eating a healthy diet is always good for you, but it cannot cure the ills smoking does to the body!

HAPPY EASTER

Gluten-Free Foods (If You Don't Suffer From Celiac Disease or Gluten Allergy)

This is a repost of a 2014 article.

People are constantly trying to get me to go gluten-free. When I tell them no that my doctors have told me that would be dangerous for me they seem appalled. "WHAT?", they say. Now I am not writing this to knock gluten-free as it is important for those suffering from celiac disease. If you will notice in the title it says, "If you don't suffer from celiac disease." What I am saying is to talk to your doctor before going gluten-free if you don't suffer from celiac disease, gluten allergy, etc. Gluten-free is a fad thing right now and everyone seems to want to jump on the bandwagon, just like it was with fat-free diets a few years ago. If you are one of those people, have you discussed this with your doctor? That's all I am asking. If you and your doctor think it is the thing for you, go for it.

Don't take my word for it. Here is an excerpt from an article that originally appeared in Redbook magazine and there are many more similar articles out there:

"If you’re anything like the pedestrians Jimmy Kimmel recently interviewed, you may think that cutting out gluten is healthy—without knowing exactly what gluten is. “If you swap out foods for their gluten-free alternatives, you may actually be depriving yourself of key nutrients while adding on more calories and fat,” says registered dietitian and Healthy Habits author Laura Cipullo. Take frozen pizza: Half a gluten-free personal pizza, like Udi’s three-cheese pizza, has more saturated fat and cholesterol and significantly less fiber and protein than Kashi’s four-cheese pizza, its gluten-containing frozen pizza counterpart. The lesson: Unless you're actually gluten intolerant, be sure to read the labels carefully when it comes to gluten-free foods."

Note: I am not here to argue this point with you. I know what my doctors tell me. I am just giving the other side of this story. Talk to your doctor and know what you are doing before going on any diet, especially one that omits any one food