HOPE 2--Brittany Maynard Had None

Brittany Maynard became famous for murdering herself on a self-appointed day and time rather than suffer through a process that she interpreted as inevitable and horrible and undignified--dying from a glioblastoma brain tumor.  I could go on and on about the fact that there's nothing "brave" or "dignified" about suicide for any reason--assisted or not.  God alone is the author of life and He alone has sovereignty over death.  But that's not the focus of this post.

Brittany Maynard had no hope.  She had no hope of surviving her brain tumor.  She had no hope of avoiding the difficult process of her body succumbing to the cancer.  She had no hope of any treatment being able to improve her odds or her quality of life.  Instead of choosing to fight for her life, she not only chose to take it, she chose to publicize her decision and actively encourage others to follow her--to believe the lie that giving up and killing yourself is brave and dignified and honorable.  To believe that there is no HOPE.

She didn't look hard enough.  She gave up too soon. I agree that standard medical treatment most likely wouldn't have helped her.  But standard treatment wasn't her only option.  I just wrote a post on the Ketogenic diet and its efficacy in fighting cancer.  This diet is even effective against brain tumors like Brittany's.  The link at the bottom is research on this very topic.  It's fascinating and filled with HOPE.  But Brittany will never know now.  She robbed her loved ones of knowing.  She tried to convince countless others that it doesn't matter if there are answers out there somewhere.

By the way, my hope doesn't lie in a diet.  My HOPE lies in the fact that I've personally placed my trust in Christ as my Savior.  He placed his righteousness on me as he took my sin on himself.  He loves me, and whatever he allows in my life will work out for good.  Whenever I die--in God's perfect timing, not my own, I have HOPE (a confidence, not a wish) that I will be in the presence of God and His Son for eternity. 

How dare I try to skip out on His refining process of my life because in my short-sighted, pitiful human mind, I decide I don't like His plan, and it's not worth it.  How dare any of us.  Instead of giving up, can I encourage you to put your HOPE in Christ and embrace His perfect plan for your life?  As long as we draw breath, there is HOPE.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005272810006857/

Ketogenic Diet

**NOTE:  Since I published this post, I have read more about the Ketogenic diet, and there may be some questions as to its efficacy in treating cancer.  Apparently there isn't a lot of data regarding its success in actual cancer patients, and there is some evidence that it is effective in the short term, but not necessarily in the long term.  The premise still has merit, but there are other natural, nutritional treatments for cancer that may be more effective.

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I regularly research cancer topics, and the "Ketogenic" diet has come up several times, so I started looking into it more in depth.  A Ketogenic diet is a high fat, low-to-moderate protein, low carb diet, basically eliminating all carbs except those from non-starchy vegetables.  This diet is very effective in treating cancer, epileptic seizures, Alzheimer's, autism, diabetes, and very effective for weight loss.  Many professional athletes are also exchanging their typical carb-loading diets with a Ketogenic diet, because it provides better and more sustained energy, not to mention better overall health.

It is common knowledge that cancer cells feed on sugar, so, simply put, a Ketogenic diet starves cancer cells of their energy source, annihilating them.  Additionally, low-protein consumption minimizes the mTor pathway--a pathway which is known to accelerate cell proliferation.  (Most people consume too much protein.  Half a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass--or 40-70g per day for most people--is the goal.)  Cancer cells, specifically, have insufficient respiration, so they must obtain an alternate source of energy, which is fermentation--and the primary fuel for fermentation is glucose.  Normal cells burn sugar, too, but when the sugar supply is inadequate, normal cells will switch to burning ketones, which are a product of fat metabolization.  Cancer cells do not have this ability to adapt to using ketone bodies due to their respiration insufficiency, so they are placed under metabolic stress and starved.  A Ketogenic diet lowers glucose levels and, when combined with intermittent fasting, changes the body's metabolic state from carb-burning mode to fat-burning mode.

Intermittent fasting can be worked up to gradually, starting by not eating within three hours of bedtime, then gradually extending the length of time before breakfast is eaten until the first meal isn't until lunch.  The goal is to contain eating within a six- to eight-hour period.  Intermittent fasting basically breaks the body's addiction to glucose.

One of the best sources of knowledge about the Ketogenic diet is Dr. Thomas Seyfried, who has published a groundbreaking book, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer.  Dr. Seyfried has been teaching at Yale University and Boston College for the past 25 years about neurogenetics and neurochemistry as they are  related to cancer treatment, and he has written a significant amount of peer-reviewed scientific literature. 

The anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting diet I have been following is very similar to the Ketogenic diet in that I have mostly eliminate refined/added sugars, but I still consume fruit and vegetables containing naturally-occurring sugars.  I believe that the anti-oxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables outweigh the negative effects of the sugars.



Here is a link to one of Dr. Seyfried's papers:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1743-7075-7-7.pdf

Here are links to two other sources explaining the Ketogenic diet:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/16/ketogenic-diet-benefits.aspx

http://www.seasonjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-is-ketogenic-diet-where-do-i-begin.html  (This blogger is using the Ketogenic diet to counteract the harmful effects of chemo and to fight cancer for her toddler who is fighting leukemia and must undergo chemo--or risk being taken away from his family if they refused chemo.)

HOPE!

After my first thermography scan in mid-July (just over one year past my diagnosis), the doctor who read the scan recommended that I have another scan in three months to establish a good baseline.  The report from my first scan was that both breasts were at "low risk", and the lymph node areas near the arm pits looked good.  I had the follow-up thermography done in mid-October, and not only did everything still look good (both breasts still "low risk"), it was even better than the July scan!  Thermography gives a full-color image of the body, with yellow/orange/red indicating warmth and green/blue indicating coolness.  Areas of inflammation and increased vascular activity (both signs of possible cancer as well as other health problems) will show up warm.  My entire upper body was noticeably "cooler" than it had been in July, which was great news!

So, a year and a half after being diagnosed with Stage II, Grade 3 invasive breast cancer, there are no signs of cancer.  I think it's likely that I would also have no signs of cancer at this point if I had undergone radiation and chemotherapy.  The big difference is that instead of spending a good portion of that 18 months making regular visits to doctors and treatment facilities and experiencing the undesirable side effects of those treatments, I spent the time detoxing, strengthening my immune system, improving my health, and fighting the cancer cells through nutrition and lifestyle changes.  Instead of feeling fatigued and sick, losing my hair, and having my immune system destroyed, I felt better than I had for years, was in better shape, and was experiencing true health. 

I want people to know that there are better ways to fight cancer.  I want people to know that they don't have to accept standard medical treatment which can be so destructive and too often a failure.  I want people to know that they can effectively fight cancer while maintaining--and even improving--their overall health.  I want people to know that a cancer diagnosis doesn't have to invoke fear, stress, and physical suffering.  I want people to know that there is real HOPE.

Why I Don't Use Deoderant or Shampoo or Laundry Detergent or....

Fighting cancer is more than eating a cancer-fighting diet...it also includes eliminating or avoiding outside toxins.  So many of the products we use daily contain toxic or carcinogenic substances, and I have taken steps to avoid some of them.  It's just not possible to avoid all environmental toxins, but I am doing what I can right now.

Our skin is the largest organ of the body, and it absorbs everything we put on it. 

• Deodorant--Antiperspirants contain aluminum which is a known carcinogen.  I have known this for a long time, and I have tried "natural" deodorants in the past, but they never seemed to work very well.  My breast cancer diagnosis motivated me to look into it again, and I found something very interesting.  I came across a blog post in which the author experienced the same problems with natural deodorants "not working."  She ended up solving that problem by detoxing her armpits.  After she detoxed, the natural deodorants worked!  The pores in our arm pits get clogged with build up and residue from dirt, sweat, deodorant, soap, lotion, etc., and the pores need to be cleansed and opened up.  She described the process and her experiences in detail, so I decided to give it a try.  I jumped right in, and stopped using deodorant--cold turkey during summer!  To my amazement, I had no bad odor at all for a few days...but then it hit--whew!  Actually, it wasn't any worse than I expected, but no one likes smelling their own body odor.  It was like after a couple days, all the gunk built up in the pores of my pits started to release and come out.  To combat the smell, I simply washed my arm pits with soap and water as often as necessary.  After several days, it got better--way better!--and then I noticed that there wasn't any odor at all anymore.  I was very surprised!  Obviously, I did have body odor after exercising heavily, working up a sweat, or going too long without showering, but other than those expected situations, I did not have daily body odor.  So I have continued not using deodorant of any kind.  I have noticed that occasionally I experience arm pit odor, but I suspect it is occurring when I wear certain fabrics and/or at a certain point of my menstrual cycle, so I am monitoring it to determine if that is actually the case.  I have seen a couple "recipes" for homemade natural deodorants, and I plan to try them soon.
• Shampoo/conditioner/body soap--Conventional hair and body products are full of harmful chemicals.  There are an abundance of "natural" products out there, so with a little research, you could find whatever you like and works for you.  I found lots of local people who make natural soaps and body butters just by attending local farmer's markets and craft sales.  I buy my soap from a friend of mine, and I use it head-to-toe as my shampoo and body soap.  I don't use conditioner at all.  I also avoid hair gels and hair spray except for on rare occasion.
• Body lotion--There are numerous natural body butters available for purchase or recipes for them that you can make at home.  I have used a couple different kinds of body butter made with goat milk and avocado, and I really liked them all.  Coconut oil is a great product that has many, many uses including as an ingredient in hair and body products.  I use straight coconut oil as an eye makeup remover (I haven't given up my eyeliner and mascara yet :)  ) and a facial moisturizer.  (I also use it many ways nutritionally in my diet, but that's another topic.)
• Showerhead filter--Chlorine is very toxic, so bathing or showering in chlorinated water (not to mention drinking it!) has long term negative effects on the body--again the largest organ, your skin, is absorbing it daily.  I bought a chlorine-removing showerhead water filter to avoid the chlorine exposure.
• Laundry detergent/softener--Laundry detergents and softeners also contain many harmful, toxic ingredients.  We launder our clothes and linens with these chemicals and the clothing and linens are against our skin 24/7.  I now use "soap nuts" instead of laundry detergent.  Soap nuts are a nut from an African tree that contain saponin (have you ever heard the term "saponified"?) which is a 100% natural soap.  Four to six soap nuts are placed in a little drawstring muslin bag and thrown right in the washing machine.  I use vinegar as a softener, and wool dryer balls in the dryer instead of liquid softener or softener sheets.  All of our laundry appears to be just as clean as it ever was, and these natural alternatives are significantly less expensive!
• Cleaning products--These are full of toxic chemicals!  I have been using a 50/50 mix of water and hydrogen peroxide for almost all my cleaning.  I also use vinegar quite often.  I know there are lots of other natural ingredients and recipes used for cleaning as well.

Many people have no idea how big an impact oral hygiene and dental procedures have on overall health.

• Flouride, although purported to "strengthen teeth and fight tooth decay", is actually a toxic poison to be avoided.  For years we have used fluoride-free toothpaste, and our dentist office knows to use fluoride-free pumice when polishing our teeth.
• I have recently learned about "oil pulling" to help fight cavities.  I use coconut oil, and swish and squish it around in my mouth, "pulling" it between all my teeth for 10-20 minutes before spitting it out.  This simple practice helps get rid of bacteria and food particles, etc., between teeth.  I like the clean feeling of my mouth after doing it.
• Silver amalgam fillings are the most common type of fillings used for cavities.  These fillings are actually composed of about 50% mercury!  That mercury is constantly leaching into the body and contaminating it.  Although they cost more, I have had the dentist use composite fillings lately. 
• Through my research, I have also learned what a large part diet plays in preventing and healing cavities.  Diet can actually cause decayed areas in teeth to remineralize and heal, stronger than ever.

Consuming foods that are organic and uncontaminated by pesticides and other toxins is very important, but attention should also be given to the materials we use to store and cook our food.

• Plastic--Most people are now aware of the harmful chemicals in plastics that can leach into food and beverages.  Buying BPA free plastics is good, but there are still other harmful chemicals in plastics, so avoiding plastic for food and beverages is best.  Alternatives include glass, stainless steel, and ceramic.  I use glass as often as I can for food storage and eating/drinking.  I have looked into stainless steel containers, but they are pretty pricey.  I would like to replace all the plastic containers in our house, but that will be a long process.
• Aluminum/non-stick cookware--Cooking with aluminum non-stick pots and pans is hazardous due to the aluminum content and because the non-stick coatings break down over time and flake off into the food and are ingested.  Safe alternatives are glass, stainless steel, high quality ceramic, and cast iron.
• Microwaves--Using microwaves to cook or reheat food involves a couple of problems.  First, if plastic containers are microwaved, the harmful chemicals are leached into the food.  Secondly, the process of microwaving changes the molecular structure of the food, destroying nutrients and creating carcinogenic compounds.  A toaster oven or toaster/convection oven work great for reheating leftovers and are a much healthier alternative to microwaves.  Plus, there's the old-fashioned way of just using the stovetop.  I stopped using a microwave after my cancer diagnosis, and I have not missed it!  I have found that heating or reheating my food on the stove really doesn't take long at all.  I think we have been spoiled by our "instant" society.