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.

A Lonely Road

Fighting cancer through nutrition and lifestyle changes can be a lonely road in some ways.  I need to be careful here not to be misunderstood, because I know there are lots and lots of people who care about me, are praying for me, and are concerned for my well-being.  And I am truly grateful for them!  But there aren't too many people who truly support what I'm doing.  I tried counting the number of people who have actually verbalized to me that they agree with my approach and support what I'm doing, and I could only come up with about a dozen.  Only 12-14 people who actually told me they think I'm doing the right thing.  I have to admit that's a little disheartening--not surprising, really, but still disheartening.  On the other hand, except for one person I can recall, no one has really given me any negative feedback, either.  So at least I don't have to deal with people telling me I'm crazy and wrong--for which I'm also thankful!  I think most people don't agree with what I'm doing, but they're too polite to say so, so they just don't say anything at all.  It's true that silence can be deafening--silence is definitely better than constant criticism, though!

There are a few observations I've made over the past year--not necessarily good or bad, but just the way it is.

Not having any visible signs of fighting an illness doesn't garner much attention.  Again, don't get me wrong--I am extremely happy not to be wasting away, sick from radiation and chemo, losing my hair, or recovering from life-changing surgery, and I wouldn't want it any other way!  I understand that it's perfectly natural for people either to be unaware, or to forget that someone is battling a health condition when that person looks perfectly healthy.  Also, I'm not saying that I want to constantly be asked how I'm doing or that I wish people would talk about it more often.  Truthfully, I don't have much to report anyway, since I'm not going through standard courses of treatment.

Eating differently than everyone else can be difficult and isolating at times.  Let's face it, eating my organic salad when everyone else is having a delicious meal isn't always very appealing.  And it's definitely tough watching other people eat yummy desserts that I should not eat!  Sometimes I wonder if others feel guilty about what they're eating or "judged" by me somehow simply by virtue of the fact that I'm not eating what they are eating.  I hope not, because I certainly don't think that way!  I am definitely guilty of cheating and eating things I know are bad for me, and there are a few reasons.  1.  I'm running out of my "good" food, so I just eat what's available until I can buy more of my food.  2.  I'm away from home at a restaurant, someone else's house, a party, etc.--somewhere where my "good" food isn't available--so I just choose the best options from what is available.  3.  I simply give in to the desire to eat something yummy that I shouldn't eat.  :)  When we are on vacation or visiting family, I do take along my own food, but I can't take everything, so I still end up cheating here and there.  It is also awkward knowing other people feel badly that they don't have or aren't serving food that I should eat.  I always tell people who know my situation not to even worry about what I "can" and "can't" eat, and to just cook like they normally would, and I will adjust.  In most cases it would be way too difficult to accommodate my diet requirements, and I certainly don't expect everyone else to have to change what they eat because of one person.  I deal with these situations by understanding it is impossible for me to eat the right way 100% of the time,  so I try to do the best I can within the limitations I have.

I think people assume that we don't have any cancer-related financial needs since I'm not going through expensive medical treatments and making constant trips to doctors and hospitals.  Which is understandable.  It's harder to see a financial need if you think that basically, only my grocery list changed.  It's definitely more inspiring to contribute to a fundraiser or benefit when you see someone suffering from going through surgeries and treatments and tests and one appointment after another, or if you know someone is losing their fight against cancer.  We did receive some financial help last summer after my diagnosis, which was definitely a blessing, but I think that was more because my husband needed surgery for a broken ankle and was off work for two months.  I only missed one day of work due to my surgery, but we still owe thousands of dollars for that surgery.  The other reality for me is that there is never enough money in the grocery budget for all the food or supplements that I should be buying.  Since food is my medicine, basically I don't have enough money to pay for my cancer "treatments."  I also have to pay out of pocket for my thermography scans.  I would like to get some more blood work done, but I'm putting that off, too because I can't afford to have it done right now.  I'm not trying to make people feel guilty, and I don't want it to seem that I'm complaining or begging for help, because I'm not.  God sees my needs and supplies accordingly, and I don't doubt His faithfulness--He has proved it over and over in our lives!  (I figure I must not really "need" the stuff I can't afford right now.  :)  )

So, although my road is lonely at times, I would still choose it over the alternative every time!  :)

Good News!

I had a busy summer and didn't post, but there is lots to talk about!  In an earlier post from May I discussed thermography vs. mammography for breast cancer screening.  Well, in mid-July I had a full-body thermography scan done at Valley Thermography in Appleton, WI.  Christine Haase is the technician, and she was super!  The process was easy and totally non-invasive--it's basically getting pictures taken.  For a couple of the breast images, I placed a sticker over the area where the tumor had been, so it was clearly marked.  We viewed and discussed the full color thermographic images, and Chris explained that the images and my medical history would be sent to a doctor to be interpreted.  That doctor would then issue a report with his findings.  I had the results within a week.

I have to admit that I was convinced that something would show up just because of how poor the histology of the cancer was.  I was also thinking that it was very likely that something would show up in my lymph nodes (up to this point it was unknown whether or not there was cancer in the lymph nodes).  You can imagine the surprise and relief I felt when the report came back that everything was clear so far! 

I have experienced what I call "dark days"--times when I was overwhelmed by negative feelings and thoughts.  At times when things weren't going well, I would think that my kids would be better off if I died of cancer.  (No, I don't really believe that!  As I said, these were dark thoughts influenced by dark moods.  I would overcome them by concentrating on what is true and right and good, etc.--choosing to think Godly thoughts instead.)  I also had pessimistic thoughts that I was probably going to die of this cancer, and then all the people who think I'm a lunatic for not getting radiation and chemo would be able to say, "I told you so" and never believe in nutrition, and I would have accomplished nothing.  Getting a clear scan definitely gave me hope that those scenarios wouldn't really happen.

The doctor who interpreted my scans recommended another breast scan in three months in order to establish good baseline images, so I will do that in October.  Depending upon what the second scan shows, I may go another six months or a year after that before I have another scan. 

I sent a letter to both my oncologist and my family doctor with a copy of the thermography report, an explanation of why I chose thermography over mammogram, and my plans to have another scan in October.  I did not make an appointment to see my oncologist, but I will keep him updated and possibly get some more blood work done in the future.

In the meantime, I am continuing with my immune-strengthening, anti-cancer diet as well as reducing my exposure to outside toxins--which I will discuss in another post.

There's More Than One Way to Fight Cancer

While doing some online research, I came across the thoughts of someone who said that cancer patients who blindly follow standard medical treatment aren't truly fighting cancer; rather they are passive bystanders.  This bothered me.  While I am one of those who has decided that there are better options than standard medical cancer treatment, I do not agree with this sentiment.  In fact, I find it insensitive.  I don't know how anyone could tell a cancer patient who is actively engaged in using every medical weapon available against their cancer that they're not really fighting. 

In my mind, the only way a cancer patient is "not fighting" the cancer is if they truly ignore the fact that they have cancer, make absolutely no lifestyle changes, seek absolutely no treatment of any kind, and let the cancer take its course.  There are people who choose that path.  But to say that anyone who chooses a treatment path that differs from yours isn't really fighting cancer is ludicrous.  There are many different methods and treatment options, all of which, I believe, qualify as "fighting cancer."

Just because not all cancer patients fight the same way, doesn't mean they aren't all fighting!

Having said that, I do understand that the person who made the comment was trying to get across the importance of not just blindly and passively doing whatever the doctors say.  Doctors don't have all the answers, and, as in most medical issues, there are lots of doctors who disagree among themselves what is best!  Doctors, the medical industry, pharmaceutical companies, and lobbyists on their behalf clearly have their own bottom lines as their foremost motivations rather than individual patient's best interests.  I think most people would agree that the more knowledge one has on a subject, the more effectively one can fight.  I believe it is vital to do one's own research and educate oneself thoroughly in order to make informed, intelligent decisions regarding one's own health.  It is completely unnecessary, and I believe unwise, to blindly and passively accept treatment for any medical condition!

It comes down to each individual cancer patient being convinced and comfortable that the choices made are right for them, and then moving confidently forward with those decisions.