Cancers: 95% of Most are from Environment! Change what you put in your mouth, on skin, use in your home

The Jig is Up, Cancer industry! Changing the toxins your body is exposed to is "the name of the NEW game"!

Below you'll find what I created and added to beginning in 2011, related to cancer.

From 2011: This is the middle of October -- smack dab in the middle of breast cancer awareness month. I've gotten my pink seat belt purse out, I normally carry a purple one, since that's 'the Lumigrate color' and it strikes up a lot of conversations so I can turn people "on" to know about Lumigrate's amazing cadre of progressive health information providers. No matter what you're promoting, innovation can be an important part of making it successful, integrating it with the tried and true marketing things. (That 'bread and butter' is the business card, I've switched to a sheet of paper, something printed from Lumigrate which I rotate based on what might be 'timely' at that time of year. In fall it likely will be something about cold and flu prevention, cancer prevention, etc., and after New Years it would likely be about diet or life coaching/making changes, it's the time a lot of people get motivated to make change in their lives and diet and exercise are the most common things they're 'resolving' to do.)

As we teach here, it's up to YOU to do what you can with what you have to work with, so to speak. You have your genes to work with, and your history up to this point, but the control that we're demonstrating in our YOU! model is for the person to have that power, not the 'others'.

<Our YOU! Model

On the subject of cancer, though, I'd simply not had anything to PRINT and put in the pink purse I would carry that was about cancer if someone struck up the conversation. Many people are concerned about cancer, it's a significant health issue in terms of commonality anymore, and obviously can be very serious, with a high mortality rate. I just hadn't heard of anything related to "the big C" that resonated for what I look for to link out/promote related to cancer. There are tons of great sources that people know about from the conventional model, what I call 'inside the box' system. I work to bring things to Lumigrate that people might not otherwise find, which I think are valid and fit with our overall model and cache of information YOUsers might return to again and again as they continue learning more about outside the box medicine approached with the YOU model concept.

Finally, today I found it! Oddly enough, it was Fran Dresher on Rosie, Rosie O'Donnell's new show on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). I found her extremely knowledgeable, valid, and FUN, and she covered the highlights in a streamlined way -- the criteria I hold for Lumigrate! I was never a fan of Fran Dresher's, her voice is so irritating, the shows I've seen her on that she stars in were goofball in my opinion, and it just wasn't my 'thing'. But I'm a fan of hers now, over how she spoke about proactivity of the person and making it simple. She has real life experience about cancer which I do not have personally (I do professionally though), to stand upon as a platform. And I hope I do my part to help the message the organization she's part of get to people. YOU!

She was followed in a segment with Cheryl Hines, who has starred as Larry David's wife on the HBO comedy about his life, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her mother joined them onstage to make a cocktail her mother has become known for making while having little parties related to Cheryl's new television show: It was mind blowing to me: Same recipe MY mother shared with me in high school, setting me up to have a very wild party at my boyfriend's house when we were in high school.

("Skip and Go Nakeds" are made with pink lemonade so really ARE a wonderful drink idea for breast cancer awareness: A: They're pink. B: while naked a person can do a good breast (or testicular) exam, particularly in the shower with the wetness and slipperyness of soap. c) WHERE DOES THE PINK COME FROM? If it's artificial coloring, y'all might want to rethink that recipe! I've put the recipe for MardyRitas in the nutrition section/recipe forum and it's had a LOT of reads. We must have some cocktail-lovers in the audience, just as Rosie did! Perhaps a healthier version of Skip and Go Nekked's is in order! (And naturally these can be made 'virgin' or lower alcohol content for those with different wellness goals and ways of going about it.)

But see, there's an example of ONE thing you can change today, artificial colorings -- so this week, per the way Cancer Schmancer teaches it, when you go to the store next, this trip you focus on that and buy differently based on that one thing. Don't relax on that keep that up after this but then the next trip it's onto something else, maybe sweeteners.

It'll take a week to research each one of these things in the average amount of time an empowered, dedicated health consumer takes every day to study and change their habits. If a person has a motivation to make change, they'll at least attempt, sometimes they need some more professional assistance getting that into action steps long term. But think of all you're able to accomplish in the amount of time it takes you (and everything else) to make a trip around the sun!

"The Nanny", a popular TV show she starred in, was a co-creation of Fran Drescher, I learned. I learned today that she and her husband co-created and produced the show, and one day after they'd been married for decades, he told her he was gay and they divorced and "split" (meaning they were NOT friendly).

She then was diagnosed with cancer, and jokes that she made it a 'cottage industry' with the nonprofit she created and all she does for publicizing cancer. (Read between the lines, this is about money that is simply how the world goes 'round, how the system works. So all those pink ribbons you see on advertising and all the 'think pink' stuff, I suggest YOU think about the marketing of that. Hence I wove in some thoughts about marketing into this topic thread.

She truly went on to be funny about the number of times her feet were in the stirrups compared to Roy Rogers. (You can see this at the website link I provide, below -- it's very funnily done.

). One of my greatest professional and then personal teachers about cancer was someone I'll just gall Gee here. Gee and I shared some intense moments when I was their in-home health care occupational therapist. At the end, G knew that I liked music and appreciated classical music, as that was frequently playing on an incredible sound system they had in their home. G asked if we could stay in touch, and specifically perhaps go to the symphony as her family members didn't enjoy it particularly and many were very busy and she didn't want to impose upon them. I agreed. This kept me in touch with them and one day I got a call from the spouse (through an assistant) that G was at hospice. I was able to be there at a time that I learned a little about hospice 'from the inside', and learned that they had separated. "How many people do you know that get divorced from their death bed?" G said and laughed.

And then G went into serious mode and talked respectfully of the spouse. It had simply just been time to end their relationship. It was going to end anyway, G knew, at the time. I learned so much from G. I hope what I learned overall can translate into educating YOUsers and others I come into contact with in the future, I consider it a gift to share. And keep in mind, the spouse called me when they felt I could help G once again. G primarily, and to a lesser extent the spouse, were the only two people who were around for all my therapy time with each of them, and fully 'got it', the family memebers and G in their moment of need didn't necessarily think to call this now concert-going 'pal'. I connected with the family after G passed, as I was called about the memorial service which I unfortunately could not attend. I think it was the right thing to have done, become friends with someone.

In Fran Drescher's case, she and her husband reconciled when she was ill and needing assistance, and they have gone on to create and put forth another show about a couple that goes through the husband 'coming out' as being gay. So she had a dual purpose in her being on the show, as she was promoting the new show and her cancer awareness work.

Fran Drescher went on to put a funny twist on the sad realities of the poor medical advise she received when she had UNdiagnosed cancer and knew things were changing in her body and seeking out medical advice. Rosie said that she'd figured that as a celebrity, Fran would have gotten good advise, and the response was, hysterically, "no doctor wanted to put his finger in John Wayne's ass and tell him he had cancer." (I never thought of it that way ... I gotta say, and that humorous saying she related 'struck and stuck' to me)

They went on to do something similarly funny, and a bit 'baudy' related to her recent photographic safari to Africa -- it really was a humorous segment, and kept people's attention while they worked in the 'hard information'/learning related to health. This is why it's necessary to have different stars from different types of shows and music in the media doing information to the public on the same item, what will appeal to one person won't appeal to the next necessarily. I tuned in because of the topic, not the guest, but I hope her millions of fans will perk up their ears to the information provided at Cancer Schmancer.

I want people to consider following her website (and products, etc.) called "Cancer Schmancer". She also suggested a website, TrashCancer.org, but I've had difficulties finding that online as of the time of this writing.

The main concept is that Stage 1 is the cure. Slogan: "If you catch it on arrival, 95% survival."

I agree with Fran's statement that it is unconscionable in this society, that we have the number of people who are getting undiagnosed or 'missed diagnosed', as I call it, and having the problems getting treatment. In my opinion, we need to recognize that is currently simply the reality, and do our part to make the future be better in that regard as a society, and first take responsibility for our health and just go forward each present moment. Have a long term intention and do what you need to do to envision that, makes goals, get assistance along the way from people you know personally or contact for their professional assistance. But THIS, what her nonprofit promotes is a good concept. (But remember to "consider the source and follow the money" (my new mantra) ... as with EVERYTHING you support by giving money to whether a donation or a product or service purchase.)

AGAIN, I love this because this is congruent with the foundation of Lumigrate, as I said before. (In driving, it's called 'potholism' when you look at the pothole and not the solution to the problem -- look in the direction you want to go and steer in that direction. You'll reduce the chances of hitting the pothole. Do that with wellness! Don't look at it as 'I did my family history and I'm destined to have what runs in the family', look at it as that's something to focus on NOT having happen, and use that for motivation along with other things, to do the hard work involved in making lasting change in your lifestyle.)

Considering all the things I've related, above, about how the system works with these nonprofits, celebrities, and causes, I was still unsure about if I was going to create a topic and commit to Cancer Schmancer being the direction for me to send the Lumigrate guests/users/readers to, and essentially 'suggest' them related to cancer-focused information. Then Fran said:

"95% of most cancers is environmental. Reduce our risk for ourselves and our families by making better choices for your home. What you clean with, what you put on your skin, what you put in your mouth." She suggested every time you go to the store, just make one additional better choice with what you purchase. I liked that advise and I concur! So "I Like it, I Link it!", and created this topic.

Update from 2012: Cancer Awareness 2012 is one I 'went a little wild over' this year! I believe the way things occurred was meant to be, though not easy, after creating this topic thread about Cancer Schmancer and the approach of shifting shopping trip by shopping trip to implementing change in what you're purchasing that has an impact on whether you will get cancer or not, or others who are in your home such as pets and family or friends.

It reinforced my commitment to including information at Lumigrate about the various forms of illness prevention. Ultimately these are environmental illnesses in most cases, things we have created and have the control over, though sometimes it's a manking and societal toxin that we cannot avoid. But there is a guideline in natural, traditional medicine circles that basically says if you do 80% right, the body can handle the 20% that's getting to it by the person's volition or not.

I intend to keep cancer 'in mind' EVERY DAY that I work on information at Lumigrate and with people in health information conceirge/navigation consultations .

I am posting this photograph today, Halloween, the last day of "Cancer Awareness Month 2012", hoping to have a bit of FUN with it all, underscoring the information we present here about toxins by posting in front of the Maroon Bells and the wilderness area. This is one of the most photographed places in Colorado, located just a short drive outside Aspen, Colorado (USA).

What happened this year: I was made ever so aware of cancer on October 1 when I received an email from one of our professional contributors, saying his cancer was not responding to treatment and his oncologist agreed with him (yes, a 'take-charge patient' indeed) to stop treatment, and that hospice and palliative care was going to be called that week. (From after 2012 I add this: We did a tribute piece to Gary King just before he passed so that our experts could not only speak to him with their thoughts, but also exemplfy for others how to address people who have any condition that will be ending their time on Earth soon. It was really great, again, a bit of creativity of thought which was appreciated by our experts.)

I was already 'regrouping' from one of our original 'lay contributors' and longtime 'user of Lumigrate's information', Alice Franklin, having shared in late September that she had breast cancer and would be having surgeries and other treatment starting in October. "Amazing Alice" is a woman from Mobile, Alabama (USA) who has written in the past about fibromyalgia, faith, and how she kept her functional status as high as possible by continuing to do what she is able to do, though it's very much impaired by her physical status. Body. Mind. Spirit. (Integrative Medicine).

The above photograph of me was taken the next day after learning of both of these dear people's cancer realities; the mountains are where I go to regroup, having been raised and lived almost every day for the first 18 years of my life surrounded by them, and never ever having lived out of eyeshot of them. (And never have seen a wild cat when out on a hike, so hopefully I didn't scare anyone! --

)

I encourage you to read what we had created in 2011, below, I am more committed to this information and the providers who helped me create it than ever! Thank you ALL, including readers who help us spread the word.

We have some interesting and diverse information about how to deal with cancer from two of our experts on Lumigrate who have experience, which you'll see below in comment if you scroll down: Beth Patterson (Certified Spirituality Coach and long-time chaplain and administrator for hospice, elder care, and outpatient care clinic) had several topics at her blog which we put at Lumigrate so people would know about her and all she does via her blogsite. One is heart wrenching and is titled about the conversation among the trees she had with her beloved friend when she was realizing she was not going to be alive much longer. Another piece is from the friend before that time when she herself was blogging about her and her mother and their having misplaced their prosthetic breasts, cleverly titled about the 'wandering boob' they joked about.

Then Karen Richardson, our Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist expert/writer, who provided content so that people know about that kind of expert to add to the Team YOU, who has gone through breast cancer treatment three times, started her first piece at Lumigrate off about brain fog and how she understood that as she had 'chemo brain'. She talked about the use of humor that helps her so much, and was a great introduction for our YOUsers to Karen.

I'm happy to say that her last cancer was found in 2000, ironically having been discovered by her that morning in the shower when she was preparing for her first day of work where I had recruited her to come work and take over the 'job baton' from me that I was vacating at a driving school that had a lot of need for occupational therapy for those with special needs due to physical or mental impairment. An experience that was two years from start to finish for me, very difficult as I had no formal education in driving rehabilitation from inside the sysem, the owner and manager of the company showed me the ropes as they'd learned them, along with ALL the support staff and instructors.

And I'd made it a successfull program with more revenues by a long shot than when I started -- they hired one of my classmates from occupational therapy school too, so I was replaced by 1.75 people. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger .. and wiser. And their program was better for having had now three occupational therapists working with it, then they added another.

Sadly, with the economic downturn in 2008, they discontinued their occupational therapists and reverted to the long-time managers and owner working with those needing special expertise for increasing their driving skills and safety. I visited their offices in 2013 when on a visit to the area, and was pleased to see the company offices having moved to better pastures, close to the skills training facility that back in my day was a lot of driving to/from where I couldn't be with a client and adding to the inefficiencies that were just part of the growth at the time. Things that were planned hadn't yet come to fruition.

You see, the owner of the company had been a real estate developer whose daughter was killed as a 16 year old passenger, the crash entailed two inexpierienced, youthful drivers. His commitment because of the pain that caused him and his family and friends/others provided him seemingly unstoppable commitment to creating a successful business that was helping people every day since it's inception.

I hope that if YOU have a personal history with cancer, you can use that similarly to motivate you to push through all the hard work involved in changing your lifestyle and having better wellness and less illness as a result.

Comments

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 10:02am

#1 [6]

Karen Richardso...

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Frequently

Joined: May 20 2010

Posts: 18

I have a funny one about Ta-Ta's

Mardy, thank you for posting something on Lumigrate about cancer; as those following my 'column' on driving, breast cancer runs in my family, my husband and friends have had their encounters with other forms of cancer, and I have had three 'rounds' with breast cancer personally. I'm giving the link below to my introductory piece about 'chemo brain' for those who are interested in reading it, as I talked about my niece having just been diagnosed at the time I was starting writing for Lumigrate, and our use of humor -- I believe humor has a lot to do with getting through the good times and the difficult.

Your piece, above, reminded me of something funny that just happened. A friend of mine is going through nursing school. As a fund raising project for the school and for breast cancer awareness, they are selling T-shirts that say "Save the Ta Tas". When I mentioned this to another friend, she said that she had seen an ad for these shirts at a Sonic drive in in Woodland Park, Colorado. She was with her husband, who misinterpreted this to mean that they were going to quit selling tater tots. He was grouchy.

I laughed so hard when she told me this I nearly fell off my chair. Still laugh when I think about it! And I hope YOU are too!

Karen

www.lumigrate.com/forum/life-after-cancer-chemo-brain-gone-and-i-can-still-drive [7]

PS - I'm impressed to see there have been well over 500 reads of the piece, above/link by the time I read it!

__________________

Karen Richardson, OTR/CDRS

Registered Occupational Therapist, Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist

Find all the topics I've contributed here at Lumigrate at http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/integrative-medicine-parts-m... [8] We encourage questions and comments, just use the Contact Us here at Lumigrate.com!

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 1:23pm

#2 [12]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

Supportive Information from Lumigrate piece

I wanted to provide some supportive information related to environmental factors and cancer; I recalled there was a post on Lumigrate about endocrine disruption legislation. In looking closely at endocrinedisrpution.org, I found a link to the following website (link below), which said:

There are many diseases that clearly have a genetic component, including bipolar disorder [13], hemophilia [14] and cystic fibrosis [15]. But once scientists acquired the ability to search the genome for the flawed genes that led to these diseases, they discovered that just having the gene doesn’t mean you’ll get the illness. Even the breast cancer genes that confer horrifyingly high risk on women who carry them don’t absolutely doom those women to breast cancer, and many people who don’t have any of the known risk factors get cancer. So scientists began to consider forces affecting not the gene itself but gene expression — whether and when genes release the instructions that tell cells when to make proteins and what kind to make.

Even though every cell in your body carries a complete set of your DNA, not every cell is identical in function. To do their job, your liver cells crank out just the proteins livers need. They’re not making myelin for nerve sheaths, are they? You hope not. And the elegantly orchestrated switching of genes on and off is developmental biology in a nutshell — the essence of the embryo’s astounding journey from a fertilized egg to a fully formed newborn.

Until very recently, however, no one was certain that the environment could change how and when the switches were thrown, not just for an individual but for his or her descendants as well.

“There is starting to be a huge body of literature on environmental exposures in development, and probably the mechanism of (their effects) is going to be altered epigenetic programming,” says Jerrold Heindel, scientific program administrator for the Division of Extramural Research and Training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [16]. “Now we have to discover how relevant it is to the human situation.”

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/environment-becomes-heredity-4425/ [17]

And here is the information about the endocrine system with link below it to the source website, which I HIGHLY suggest you follow out to and let YOUR politicians know how you feel about the bill related to endocrine disruptors.

The endocrine system is the exquisitely balanced system of glands and hormones that regulates such vital functions as body growth, response to stress, sexual development and behavior, production and utilization of insulin, rate of metabolism, intelligence and behavior, and the ability to reproduce. Hormones are chemicals such as insulin, thyroxin, estrogen, and testosterone that interact with specific target cells. The interactions occur through a number of mechanisms, the easiest of which to conceptualize is the lock and key. For example, target cells such as those in the uterus contain receptors (locks) into which specific estrogenic hormones (keys) can attach and thereby cause specific biological actions, such as regulating ovulation or terminating pregnancy. Other endocrine disrupting mechanisms include binding hormone transport proteins or other proteins involved in signaling pathways, inhibiting or inducing enzymes, interfering with uptake and export from cells, and modifying gene expression.

Over the past 60 years, through technological advances a growing number of synthetic chemicals have been used in the production of almost everything we purchase. They have become a part of our indoor environment, found in cosmetics, cleaning compounds, baby and children’s toys, food storage containers, furniture and carpets, computers, phones, and appliances.

We encounter them as plastics and resins every day in our cars, trucks, planes, trains, sporting goods, outdoor equipment, medical equipment, dental sealants, and pharmaceuticals. Without fire retardants we would not be using our computers or lighting our homes. Instead of steel and wood, plastics and resins are now being used to build homes and offices, schools, etc. A large portion of pesticides are endocrine disruptors. What this constant everyday low-dose exposure means in terms of public health is just beginning to be explored by the academic community.

To date, no chemical in use has been thoroughly tested for its endocrine disrupting effects. Traditional toxicological testing protocols were not designed to test for endocrine disruption and to test at ambient or low exposure levels.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK TO SEE THIS AMAZING WEBSITE, EdocrineDysruption.org, also ORIGINATING FROM WESTERN COLORADO, dedicated to the cause of hormone disruption from environmental toxins and regulations to control these health-changing toxins: There's a WONDERFUL graphic of how the above concepts operate in the body.

www.endocrinedisruption.org/endocrine.introduction.overview.php [18]

__________________

Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [5] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 3:05pm

#3 [19]

Beth Patterson

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Frequently

Joined: Dec 5 2010

Posts: 23

Tales of the Wandering Boob

I wanted to share the link here to the piece I posted in the Humor/Mental Wellness forum titled Tales of the Wandering Boob. It is a piece from a friend of mine who wrote a beautiful piece about a hysterical outing she and her mother shared which involves an adventure they shared post-mastectomy related to a prosthetic breast. I hope the audience who follows to it enjoys.

Blessing, Beth

www.lumigrate.com/forum/tales-wandering-boob [20]

__________________

I am a grandmother. I'm owned by a wolf/husky named Geronimo and we live in Central Oregon. I thrived in Western Colorado for 13 years--living in Hotchkiss and working for Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado in the administrative offices in Grand Junction and helping to open the hospices in Montrose and Delta.

I have a MA in Religion, and 20 something years of hospice experience, 5 years in child advocacy and am now working with eldering.

I own a business called Finding Ground [21] and also host a multi-blogger site Virtual Teahouse. [22] Finding Ground provides spiritual companioning for those who are journeying through major life transitions. All I do is 'sit' and hold space. And show up. I do face to face sessions as well as long-distance via phone or skype sits.

Other than those facts, everything else is suspiciously, serendipitously, unscrupulously subjective.

Mon, 10/24/2011 - 11:17am

#4 [23]

Dr Jim Kennedy DDS

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Frequently

Joined: Sep 14 2011

Posts: 22

Dental screenings for oral cancer; early detection is key

Prevention and early detection are the most important keys in fighting cancer. Oral cancers of the tongue, palate and gum tissues have a high cure rate when caught in the early stages of development.

Dentists and hygientists routinely screen for oral cancers when you get your teeth cleaned. This is a good reason to keep up with your dental checkups on an annual basis. New diagnostic lights have been developed that, when shined in the mouth, can dectect early tissue changes that can be precursors of cancer.

If you have not seen a dentist lately, I suggest you make an appointment so that you can be screened for oral cancer.

__________________

Dr Kennedy moved to Grand Junction in 2003 with his wife, Liz, a registered nurse. Previously, he had practices in Detroit and Denver. He has limited his dental practice to the treatment of TMJ dysfunction, dental orthopedics and orthodontics, and the fabrication of dental appliances for snoring and sleep apnea. Office phone: 970/242-1900; Website: www.dentocranial.net [24]

His pieces on Lumigrate can be found in the forum related to things of the head in the section related to chronic pain, fatigue and fibromyalgia at http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/head/... [25]. Please also refer to The Cranial Academy for providers in your area who have similar treatment approaches at: http://www.cranialacademy.com/ [26]

Sun, 02/10/2013 - 12:58am

#5 [27]

Dr Marc Spurlock MD

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 1 2010

Posts: 72

Prevention is the name of the game

My suggestions related to preventing cancer:

Quit using underarm deodorant/anti-perspirant with Aluminum in it. You do not need to poison the lymph nodes that protect your breasts.
Keep your immune system super charged. There are lots of things to do here. This is doubly true if you have a family history of cancer, especially breast cancer.
Test regularly to move at the earliest opportunity.
Birth control pills are great for preventing pregnancy, but not so good for your breasts, uterus or ovaries. Figure some thing else out for your better health.
Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, etc.). They help prevent a bad degradation of estrogen in the liver. If you can't eat these veggies, there are supplements that truly help with this also (DIM, Indole-3-Carbinol).

Be proactive! Prevent so you don't have to treat! What more do I need to say?!

Here's a link to the topic I posted about hormones, which includes some information about cancer. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this interesting stream and at Lumigrate.

www.lumigrate.com/forum/use-your-brain-estrogen-testosterone-and-dementia-supplementing-bioidentically-versus-bigpharm [28]

__________________

"There is no one to blame. There is simply taking action!"........Wm. Marcus Spurlock, MD Dr. Spurlock presently works in Dallas, TX treating people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bio-Identical Hormone Deficiences and Environmental Illnesses. He has been doing this work exclusively for the last 9 years. In the fall of 2011 he opened a new health center; please visit his website, which is where he posts education beyond what is sprinkled at Lumigrate. http://www.renewedvitalitymd.com/ [29] Through a total body approach, the treatments he and his team provide are 85-90% successful in returning patients to their previous health potential. You can see his complete vitae in Lumigrate's forum "About Our Writers" (link: http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-vitae-wm-marcus-spurlock-m... [30]), and the majority of his contributions on Lumigrate are in the FMS/CFS/CPain section, where you'll see a forum which includes his name: http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/fibro... [31].

Sun, 04/22/2012 - 8:45pm

#6 [32]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

My personal reasons for my passion about cancer

I chose to wait to write about this until today, October 26th, nearly the end of 'cancer month' of October. It turns out I have FOUR friends who were born on this day, two men and two women. The two 'gal pals' actually met and hung out one day, which was one of my favorite days since I moved to Grand Junction eight years ago. My one friend, who I'll call Dee, lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, located in the north central part of the state. After I became an OT, I moved to Denver which is central and still saw my northern friends a lot, but when I moved south to Colorado Springs, it was harder to get all the way up there. My father's health got bad enough in those years I was spending increasing weekend time with him and much less with my friends. Then I moved all the way west, to Grand Junction, Colorado in my early to mid 40s and knew nobody, so was starting over in terms of making friends. "Dee" was looking to purchase a 'getaway' condo in Steamboat Springs which is midway between Grand Junction and Fort Collins, so it was wonderful to meet her up there.

While I was in Colorado Springs, she had breast cancer and had emailed me asking if I could come help with her recovery; I received it when I returned from signing a contract to go to work for what turned out to be a deplorable employer. It broke my heart to not be able to help in her time of need, but I did what I could to rally those around her and everyone survived.

Her son is someone who I take a particular sense of responsibility about, because when Dee was in her late 30s, having accomplished the benchmarks in her career, she was repeatedly having miscarriages and I mentioned it around the lunchroom table when the doctor happened to be present, who, along with a PT present, said 'that's a hormone problem'. My hairdresser knew of a top notch fertility/ gynecology specialist in 'our' old town of Fort Collins, and I connected her to the name. She pursued it, he found the problems and corrected them, and on her next pregnancy she ended up with her son AFTER no less than the Dalai Lama blessed 'the baby' when she presented when pregnant to see him in Denver when he was there speaking. I too was there to hear him, I was not with her for the special time. I'm so happy that she had it, he's clearly a blessed boy in many ways related to parents and their intelligence and what their good jobs have allowed for him to have. He's always said things wise beyond his years, and I wonder if it has to do with the "blessing of the belly". I'm just so happy and relieved that he's had his mom alive and well with him since the breast cancer treatment.

So one day we were going to rondezvous in Steamboat. I called my other friend, "Kay" who was born on the SAME DAY (five years apart), who I'd met in the dorms at college; she taught us all how to do tequilla shots and was one of the smartest women I ever met, as was Dee. Dee was a work-related friend who came along in my mid 20s, about the time "Kay" moved up to Steamboat Springs; eventually all my friends from the early college years had moved on from the college town, but I was there due to having gotten a particularly good job working for a research project then marrying one of the researchers.

"Kay" and her best gal pal had ended up coming out as gay/lesbian along the way and I'd not met her new partner and "Dee" was going up to Steamboat so I arranged for us all to meet up for FAC and dinner. I had to hit the road after work sooner than later and something snagged me up and I was driving in the last miles at 5:00 and there was a rainbow over Steamboat! I thought that was interesting since the rainbow is a symbol frequently used to represent all the different "colors" that people are related to sexual orientation.

The rainbow lingered the whole time it took me to get to Steamboat. I parked and turned the corner to walk to the Rio Grande where I presumed my friends were inside sitting separately and I looked up and the rainbow was still there, right with the sign for The Rio! (See separate piece about MardyRitas in the recipes section, they inspired my unique and healthier recipe).

I got inside and looked around, being afraid I was going to find Kay and her significant other at a table and Dee standing alone or sitting alone at the bar waiting. BUT to my HAPPY SURPISE, I looked over and saw the three of them LAUGHING and sitting at a table for four looking like they'd known each other their whole lives. We had a lot of fun that weekend, in a way it felt like 'the old days' of our 20s but with the maturity of being in our 40s.

I went back not long after that for a 40th birthday party for her partner, and had a blast. I went on to date someone from Steamboat and therefore was up there a few times and would get to see Kay sometimes -- other times they'd be gone traveling for sports as parental figures to her partner's young adolescent son. They are all some of the FUNNIEST people I know, I have had some of my best laughs of my life with them.

Then one day a few years back my cell phone rang and it was one of my best life-long gal pals, who was actually who I'd met Kay through at age 18 in our first weeks of college at CSU. That was back in the days that CSU had a reputation for being one of the best 'party schools' in the US. I was concerned when the phone rang, as I'd just left my father, who had insisted on driving himself to a dental appointment that day, even though I was there and going to Denver for a meeting that I could have dropped and picked him up. My head was trying to connect why my friend would be aware if something had happened to my father, as I answered the phone and heard "Kay's dead".

WHAT? Apparently, she had cancer (related to the pelvic area) and had been in the process of preparing her family and framily (which included a LOT of people) that something was up. Perhaps she wasn't being proactive about finding out what was going on as she didn't want to have treatment. Perhaps she just was putting off seeking things. But it had caused circulation problems which resulted in blood clots and she's been playing some ball game and had not felt well so went to the hospital. Blood clots broke loose and she died.

I called Dee to let her know and it turns out one of our coworkers in the past, who was also about age 50, had died within the past month or so of the same sort of thing, blood clots, but in her case just two days after finding out she had ovarian cancer and not yet able to start treatment.

While I wasn't seeing these people often, just knowing that they are 'out there' to potentially see at some point and have FUN with, was a very good thing and added to life for me.

And those were only a few of my friends related to cancer that fall into one story to relate.

And then there is Karen, who writes at Karen's Korner here at Lumigrate (about driving rehabilitation for people who have special challenges with medical impairments and medications). I had met her through an association for driving educators and when I related a story of being too sick to get to the doctor or really make anything to eat and my employer calling to ask a question and hearing how sick I was and not asking if I needed help in any way, she'd said 'don't you EVER not call me if you need something'. So years later I needed someone to take over my job as I couldn't continue working for that kind of employer, they were just running me into the ground, and she agreed to be interviewed and they hired her!

She came in for her first day of training with me, and I was eagerly looking forward to being out of there in a week or so, and she said 'I might not be able to go to lunch with you, I just found a lump" -- it would be her THIRD cancerous mass of her life. Needless to say, I held the work down so she could take care of that. Happily, that was 10 years ago. Aside from having the follow up surgieries have complications which required further surgery, which impacted her job -- she had gone back, as I did, to working in skilled nursing and, same as what I found, the companies don't care what's going on with you, just that you're there earning money for them.

And then we get to the patients I had over the years who had cancer, who have been some of the most amazing people and teachers to me related to getting 'from here to there'.

I've learned that the families who can be supportive are very helpful when it comes to a person with cancer. I once had a young patient who got comfortable with the OT assistant working with him who reported back to me that he was saying he wanted to stop treatment but didn't know how to tell his family. I contacted one of the behavioral health providers who agreed to see him and tell the family not to worry about the cost: "we'll work something out". His sister was in the paper for having hurried up her education in order to graduate that year so he could attend, and he passed. Recently a woman who grew up where I did passed on after chosing to not treat breast cancer due to the costs; she knew what that entailed as her son had died after a long time 'fighting' cancer.

These three situations each represent wealthy, middle class, and low income. I hate to see anyone die of cancer but I particularly hate to see the financial ruin that comes to people if they chose to have medical intervention.This is why I work to bring this type of information to EVERYONE. I hope it helps people to have the base information and then the supportive human stories to encourage embracing the concepts. Then it's up to them to move forward and live their destiny.

~~ Mardy

__________________

Tue, 06/17/2014 - 8:43am

#7 [33]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

Cancer (and other things), lemon AND baking soda combo

World Truth dot tv is a website that I hope the YOUsers of Lumigrate will know about, hence when I found this article being shared by Lumigrate's expert MD contributor Marc Spurlock on Facebook, I read it over and shared it as well. AND thought it was a 'grate' addition to this thread of information.

An additional lesson: When I shared it on Facebook, Facebook reminded me of Snopes, which had an article about the lemon and cancer 'legend'. I had a friend who is a scientist type recently suggest to me I check out websites on Snopes -- they were so conventional and inside the box they were unaware how some websites and other resources out there are not without their hidden agendas. (Things like QuackWatch and etc. too). So I thought I'd sprinkle that in here as it was just reminded to me how the convention can get 'pushed' at you on social media or websites as the next thing you should look at, to 'balance' the information you just saw. Manipulation of the mind? I'd say so. Don't let it affect YOU.

And don't look to me to tell you what to believe or not, I'm just putting things here that I think are relevant to be considered -- go Search on that and see what YOU find. Decide for yourself what information sources you're going to use and which ones you're not. Be a savvy consumer on the Internet as well as what you put on and in your body, or what procedures or medical advise you take from providers.

worldtruth.tv/lemon-and-baking-soda-combination-saves-lives/ [34]

__________________

Thu, 11/06/2014 - 7:51pm

#8 [35]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

TheTruthAboutCancer is a Resource to Look At

Very simply put -- here's the link.

thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/ [36]

__________________