My mother's late stage diagnosis (IIIb) of inflammatory breast cancer prompted my extensive research into the cancer "theory" and its treatments, from toxic chemotherapy to alternative herbal remedies. That was two years ago. My cousin's 8 year old daughter now has lymphoma. My dad (59)had prostate cancer, a family friend (42) has late-stage lymphoma, my cousin's wife (34) had breast cancer. The list goes on and on. These are just the people who are close to me. Everywhere you look, cancer has reared its ugly head in someone's life.
I've made it my life mission to find out what is going on. If I were younger I would go to school for medical research but...alas...I'm 37 with a family to care for. But I am resolved to continue my research to best of my ability as a journalist.
There are many resources I have used to come to the conclusion that our bodies have the ability to cure themselves of cancer cells as long as we keep them healthy enough to do so. I recently met with a radiation oncologist who explained that the leading cancers of today can all be linked to too much estrogen in the body. Yes, men do have estrogen running through their veins.
An interesting fact to note, this PhD. Stanford-educated woman said was that many chemicals we ingest convert to estrogen in the body. Have you ever heard not to use plastic in the microwave? Well, there is a huge source of chemical exposure right there. Even styrofoam cups can contain chemicals that leech into the hot coffee you drink. Add the pesticides from the coffee and voila, you are ingesting a ton of it. How about hair spray? Some hair dyes have been linked to cancer.
My disillusion of the cancer doctors began when I read the instructions they gave my mother that included about a 1/2 page regarding diet. One or two sentences about quitting smoking and not much else on how to keep your body healthy. Why not warn them of what might be keeping them sick? The way I see it, they were just concerned with making their $12,000 every time she went in for her toxic treatments that could have just as well killed her.
Yes, I do realize that chemo kills cancer cells and I can see its role in the treatment protocol. However, it also kills all the other fast dividing cells as well, which comprimises the immune system.
Why, if we know that antioxidants can take care of free radicals that ultimately cause the cancer, aren't more studies being done on how to cure cancer with natural ingredients? My mother refused her last two rounds of chemotherapy and opted to drink an herbal tea that I swear was shrinking her tumor before she even began chemo. The doctors had her so scared that she felt the only way to live was through chemo. So, within two weeks of diagnosis, they began pumping the poison through her veins. We will never know if a natural alternative would have worked to completely cure her or not, but she still takes it and is healthier than ever now.
Does anyone have the cash to invest in a study of all natural cures? Why isn't anyone doing it? Hey Bill Gates, spend some of that dough we have given you to find a cure for cancer. Everyone is so worried about others abroad while the rest of us sit around just waiting to hear we have cancer. It's so prevalent it's become common place to see chemo patients at the grocery store, in our elementary schools, and in wig shops. I'm sick to my stomach about it.
PAULA PARISOT, CAN WE TALK
My daughter at 37 was diagnosed with IBC (stage 4).
Please write me
Patti Bradfield
Public Relations Director
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation
WA
Patti,
I'd love to chat. What is your email address?
Hi Paula,
Just got back here and saw your message.
Now you have my email: patti@ibcresearch.org
I hope your mom is feeling better.
My sister is 31 and has just been diagnosed with stage 4 IBC... what is the tea that your mother drank, and could you please tell me of any other natural remedies you've heard of that could be helpful!
Please contact me CorinneHaggerty@hotmail.com
It is a possibility that I will be dignosied with IBC, I would like to know of the herbal tea that I can drink.
Hi Paula
My mother was also diagnosed with IBC on Jan 6 2006. She is doing chemo right now, but is in limbo about it. We would like to try natural remedies in conjunction with it. Please e-mail me to chat about this.
Thanks
J.Demmans
Anyone please feel free to e-mail me at jdemmans@hotmail.com to discuss topics regarding cancer.
Paula, My mom was diagnosed with the same type of breast cancer and staging as your mom. She has gone through chemo, mastectomy, and radiation. She has also taken a nutritional supplement which we swear has given her immune system a boost. The tests are all coming back clear! I'm with you regarding your thoughts on preventative and alternative treatment research. Email me! Kathy-Sacramento
I need an email address, is it posted elsewhere? I'm new to this site.
Paula,
Here's hoping you and your mother have found the support that the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation can provide to those of us facing the diagnosis of IBC! As a 3+ year survivor still in the battle due to reoccurance, the need for research is great. Hopefully you know about the BIOBANK and how your mother can be a active participant in research.
Barbara,
I red your thread about the research centre for IBC. Can you please e-mail at jdemmans@hotmail.com so that you could possibly give me more information on this.
Thanking you in advance.
J.Demmans
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Survivors' Site provides many encouraging stories that will inspire your mother and other inflammatory breast cancer patients at:
http://www.ibcsurvivors.org/
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Help Site provides much information, a forum, an e-mail list, and other support for inflammatory breast cancer patients at:
http://www.ibchelp.org/
Also, check out the following site. They are pursuing natural ways of fighting cancer and other diseases.
http://www.grouppekurosawa.com/
Good luck, Paula
Hi Paula,
These are my thoughts/opinions from a fellow IBC Sister (dx @ 37 yrs.old, Aug. 2004:
Is it my fault that I have cancer?? Because I chose to eat/drink the wrong foods, I use plastic/styrofoam, I partied to much in younger years and I yada, yada, yada I now have IBC. So how do we explain our ancestors passing on at a younger age than this generation when they did not have plastic/styrofoam, did not have processed foods, did not have pesticides, etc. and they were using herbal remedies? By the way, there is no history of major cancer in my family, only a couple minor skin cancers (from the sun) with my Grandpas. Also, if you research more, you will find that very healthy people get cancer.
I'm 100% behind $$$ going towards IBC research and cures. I'm a very big advocate. Every person that I come in contact with finds out about IBC, the symptoms, the aggressiveness, etc. They always leave with an IBC brochure so they can educate others also.
Your Mom had chemo. Chemo meds stay in your body for a long time after treatment. That chemo was shrinken the cancer cells after she stopped and while she was drinking herbal teas. I agree there are some alternative meds that help fight cancer, there are natural foods, that I eat, that fight many diseases and ailments inc. cancer. But in my "faith" opinion, God gave us the natural foods/herbs, etc. along with giving us smart, educated doctors, lab techs, researchers that invent meds that fight cancer. Yes, chemo meds have side affects but if you read the fine print on herbal meds - they have side affects also. To say no to proven methods is like depending on the luck of playing the lottery. The odds of you getting the winning ticket is very, very slim but, yet it does happen 1 in a million. I don't like those odds. I personally do not regret fighting my very aggressive cancer (IBC) with very aggressive man-made chemo/meds. I'm now living with side affects that may never go away but at least I'm here, alive, enjoying life with my daughter and husband and the rest of my extended family and friends. I do not have the right to play the lottery with my life.
Everybody is allowed their own opinions about every situation. I pray that your Mom's IBC is quickly under control no matter what type of meds she decides is best for her.
Wishing you the best,
Tammy,
I'm glad you made it through your battle. I'm not saying chemo doesn't help people, I'm saying that there needs to be more of a focus on natural cures.
I would never say someone was at fault for having cancer. That was not my intention to give that impression. I fault the very people that know that plastics, and teflon, and other carcinogens cause cancer but choose to ignore these facts and let their products be used by the public anyway.
My mother does not fit any profile for IBC either. But I don't agree that cancer strikes so randomly, I firmly believe it is environmental.
And to answer your question about the median age of death being younger than today, well, there are a lot of processes in place to keep people alive. Without angioplasty (?) my father would have died from clogged arteries by now, about the same age my grandpa died.
How often did you hear about children having cancer when you were a kid? It was practically unheard of.
Best of luck to you and I truly am glad that you are still here with your family.
God Bless.
Hi Paula,
Thanks for your response back in Feb. I don't visit this site and didn't realize you had responded to my post until someone else brought it to my attention.
My answer to your question about kids having cancer when I was younger is "MEDIA". Along with answering another post about cancer not being widely spread in the "olden days" is "MEDIA". People died and they didn't know why. People had cancer and they didn't have the technology, etc. to tell them what caused the death. They didn't have the news media like we have today that puts every concern, every controversy, every medical break thru, every disease right in front of our faces, every day and every evening. I'm not saying the media is a bad thing it just allows us to read and hear and see ALL of the bad. Whereas in the "olden days" or even when I was younger we just didn't hear about all of the bad stuff. I think people were also more private...it was tabu to have cancer, let alone tell people, so we didn't hear about it.
With that said, I do believe that our lifestyles can bring on some diseases and health problems. It has been proven that smoking causes lung cancer but I've also read where people that are healthy and have never smoked now have lung cancer. Drinking alcohol can cause liver cancer, obesity can cause diabetes, etc., etc. which can all kill you but I see very healthy people drinking alcohol and eating a lot of food and some of them actually live a very long life. To me, that is cancer striking some people that chose a lifestyle that they know could possibly cause cancer and cancer striking some people that tried to live healthy. That is random.... Whether styrofoam, teflon, etc increased their chances of having cancer I do not know and I have not read legitimate medical research that proves that theory.
Even tho we may not agree about the causes of cancer, my hope is that this blog will help educate others about Inflammatory Breast Cancer. You are more than welcome to join our advocacy group to get the word out about the most aggressive and misdiagnosed breast cancer. We can always use another energetic and purpose driven advocate such as yourself!
I pray that your Mom is fighting strong and doing well against her battle with IBC. She is blessed to have you as her daughter.
Take care
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I hear this a lot that people doubt science and like to focus on the negative aspects of it. I can see how science is difficult to understand since I am studying to be a chemist some day.
Now the first things you people have to understand is that there are no "conspiracy theories" out there. Some things take longer to research than other things. This is sometimes due to technical reasons too. The body is extremely complicated and it is often times more difficult to study something than it seemes. You can't just go "oh this is supposed to help lets study it" and then a month later know everything about it. Scientists are already doing everything they can to help.
Also about people wanting to chose natural remedies over scientific medicine... that is your own choice to make, but if studies show that some medicine does nothing, you are most likely wasting your time and money on it. Yes chemo does hurt your body but it also increases your chance of killing the cancer. If you think doctors give you chemo instead of anciend herbal medicines because chemo costs 11,000$ more than the plants, then all I have to say is you are crazy.
The issue of cancer is that it isn't JUST genetic - it's environmental. You barely heard of cancer in the 1800s; it wasn't because our DNA suddenly changed at the turn of the century - it's because they weren't dumping artificial stuff into food that often. Half the stuff on the ingredients part of a juice box I can't pronounce correctly - let alone digest right, I'd surmise.
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If a society is willing to give freedom for temporary security, they deserve neither.