When I tell people that "I whooped that tumor's ass!".... somehow it isn't enough. They want to label my success. They want to define the victory with medical terminology. Typical words that folks want to hear are cure.... or in remission.... or cancer-free. They don't want my whoop-ass phraseology, they want something more clinical. It isn't enough that the tumor is no longer a lump, but a hard mass of scar tissue, it isn't enough that the CEA blood markers have been in the normal range for months, it isn't enough that the latest MRI showed that the lymph nodes are clear, or that I feel great and look great. They want WORDS, a medical mandate of some kind.
So at my last oncology visit (July), I searched for that defining word. I asked the doc: "ok, so ..... how would you categorize where I am in all of this? I know you probably cannot say I am cured or cancer-free. But what WOULD you say? What is my status?"
Her response was: "I would say you are a survivor."
Survivor. Yes, now that I think of it, that's the typical jargon used. When people don their pink t-shirts and go on those breast cancer walks, that's what they call women who have beat the damn thing.
Survivors.
But being a survivor, in my mind, puts me into a passive state. One survives a tornado, or a flood, or any other natural disaster over which one has no control. Calling myself a survivor somehow makes it sound as if I was "under assault" by the cancer, or more realistically, perhaps, by the standard cure: the assault of chemo, radiation, surgery. I never subjected my body to these inhumane and toxic therapies. I took control of the situation. I changed the domain (my body) in which the cancer was doing its damage. And it worked.
I would not call myself a survivor. I would call myself a VICTOR. I did the work -- I found the right therapies for me and I applied them. I could not have done it without the help of my mistletoe doctor. I also could not have done it without all of the books and articles and resources out there that guided me through the alternative field of cancer therapies and gave me hope that I was on the right track.
I still say that I simply whooped that tumor's ass. I am the VICTOR.
My next visit with my oncologist is on September 11 (yes, really!), 2014.
Believe it or not, September 11, 2013 was the day that I received my cancer diagnosis.
What a year it has been!
Thanks to all who have supported me and prayed for my recovery.
Betsy's Road Less Traveled
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Join the Crowd!
There is an important clinical trial planned to study the effects of mistletoe on cancer (specifically, of the colon). It will be CROWD-funded -- that is, by PEOPLE, not by BIG PHARMA. Dr. Peter Hinderberger, M.D., Ph.D. a practitioner at the Ruscombe Mansion Clinic in Baltimore, has a key role in this study. Here is what he has to say about it:
"As you may know, Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is doing a mistletoe study. An oncologist at JHH and I share a patient who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and a bleak prognosis and is now free of cancer thanks to her lifestyle changes and mistletoe. This sparked the oncologist's interest and his decision to do a trial on mistletoe. This study will cost approximately $300,000. None of the funds will come from Big Pharma.
The patient co-founded a non-profit organization, Believe Big, to help families navigate cancer treatments. She offered to do the fundraising. She organized a gala dinner and almost 600 people signed up. We have the money to start the trial but need to raise more to finish it.
This is truly historic: Johns Hopkins, one of the top-ranked medical research facilities in the world, is doing a study on a botanical substance for cancer. This in itself is absolutely remarkable. Even more remarkable is that this is patient driven, not initiated by the manufacturer, nor a researcher, by Big Pharma, or an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. There is more: this is being funded by a grass roots organization. Not Big Pharma, not the government, but by us -- YOU and ME!
I have used mistletoe in my practice successfully for over three decades. It is time for mistletoe to be an integral part of a standard cancer treatment protocol. With this study the oncological world will not be able to continue to ignore mistletoe any longer."
Early on in this blog, I discouraged folks from participating in the Pink Ribbon cancer awareness campaigns (see the link on side-bar to the right about "Pink Ribbons Inc"). Big Pharma has its dirty fingerprints all over those "races for the cure." Please, if you want to donate toward a more worthy cause, JOIN the CROWD that is funding the Johns Hopkins mistletoe study. They could really use every penny you can spare. You can donate at http://www.believebig.org/clinicaltrial.html or mail a check to: Believe Big at 14030 Woodens Lane, Reisterstown, MD 21136. All donations are tax deductible.
"As you may know, Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is doing a mistletoe study. An oncologist at JHH and I share a patient who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and a bleak prognosis and is now free of cancer thanks to her lifestyle changes and mistletoe. This sparked the oncologist's interest and his decision to do a trial on mistletoe. This study will cost approximately $300,000. None of the funds will come from Big Pharma.
The patient co-founded a non-profit organization, Believe Big, to help families navigate cancer treatments. She offered to do the fundraising. She organized a gala dinner and almost 600 people signed up. We have the money to start the trial but need to raise more to finish it.
This is truly historic: Johns Hopkins, one of the top-ranked medical research facilities in the world, is doing a study on a botanical substance for cancer. This in itself is absolutely remarkable. Even more remarkable is that this is patient driven, not initiated by the manufacturer, nor a researcher, by Big Pharma, or an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. There is more: this is being funded by a grass roots organization. Not Big Pharma, not the government, but by us -- YOU and ME!
I have used mistletoe in my practice successfully for over three decades. It is time for mistletoe to be an integral part of a standard cancer treatment protocol. With this study the oncological world will not be able to continue to ignore mistletoe any longer."
Early on in this blog, I discouraged folks from participating in the Pink Ribbon cancer awareness campaigns (see the link on side-bar to the right about "Pink Ribbons Inc"). Big Pharma has its dirty fingerprints all over those "races for the cure." Please, if you want to donate toward a more worthy cause, JOIN the CROWD that is funding the Johns Hopkins mistletoe study. They could really use every penny you can spare. You can donate at http://www.believebig.org/clinicaltrial.html or mail a check to: Believe Big at 14030 Woodens Lane, Reisterstown, MD 21136. All donations are tax deductible.
A Mistletoe Success Story
The fellow in this video spoke at a recent BelieveBig fundraising dinner.
What is BelieveBig? That will be the topic of my next post. For the time being,
allow Frank Ridgeway's story to pique your curiosity:
What is BelieveBig? That will be the topic of my next post. For the time being,
allow Frank Ridgeway's story to pique your curiosity:
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Betsy: 1 Cancer: 0
Well! Good news on the tumor battle front.
Follow-up (6-month) MRI reveals that the tumor is diminishing. On the MRI screen, it shows up as a dark mass. Although its diameter is just slightly smaller than the original lump, it is way flatter. My oncologist poked around and said it feels more like scar tissue. The original lump was pretty round and squishy -- now it's rather flat and seems to be more nestled against the chest wall, almost out of the perimeter of the breast.
Other good news: NO evidence of ancillary lymph node cancer. The original MRI (6 months ago) showed a small mass in a lymph node. And now it's gone -- GONE! Doctor also confirms that she feels nothing in that area upon physical examination. Oh..... yay!
More good news: the intravenous dye contrast that was sent through my veins during the MRI exam did not reveal any cell activity in the area. It appears to be "quiet" in terms of new growth.
I am still feeling great, have lost 15 pounds, and the cancer blood marker (CEA) is in the normal range. I will continue with the regimen I am following. Hey, it seems to be working!
Follow-up (6-month) MRI reveals that the tumor is diminishing. On the MRI screen, it shows up as a dark mass. Although its diameter is just slightly smaller than the original lump, it is way flatter. My oncologist poked around and said it feels more like scar tissue. The original lump was pretty round and squishy -- now it's rather flat and seems to be more nestled against the chest wall, almost out of the perimeter of the breast.
Other good news: NO evidence of ancillary lymph node cancer. The original MRI (6 months ago) showed a small mass in a lymph node. And now it's gone -- GONE! Doctor also confirms that she feels nothing in that area upon physical examination. Oh..... yay!
More good news: the intravenous dye contrast that was sent through my veins during the MRI exam did not reveal any cell activity in the area. It appears to be "quiet" in terms of new growth.
I am still feeling great, have lost 15 pounds, and the cancer blood marker (CEA) is in the normal range. I will continue with the regimen I am following. Hey, it seems to be working!
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Water Fluoridation: A National Disgrace
Fluoride occurs in nature, in our food, soil, and water. It has not been defined as an essential nutrient.
So it's gotta be ok for us to consume, right?
Big pharma sells fluoride in the form of a drug. It has been defined as such by the FDA. If you want to take pharmaceutical-grade fluoride in a pill, you have to have a doctor's prescription. You would be instructed to take a certain amount based upon your age and weight in order not to exceed "safe limits of consumption."
Would it surprise you to learn that the FDA has never actually approved fluoride for safety and efficacy? And yet, this unapproved "drug" is dumped into 70% of the tap water in this country. Without our consent. Without a prescription from our doctor. Without taking into account "dosage intake" based upon age or weight. Without any warnings to the public of the harm it can cause.
Would it surprise you to learn that the fluoride that is dumped into our water is NOT pharmaceutical grade (sodium fluoride), such as is found in toothpaste and mouth wash? It is derived largely from the toxic chemical waste of the phosphate fertilizer industry, and is defined as fluorosilicic acid.
Fluorosilicic acid = the waste accumulated after the fertilizer industry scrubs down its smoke stacks. They cannot dump this toxic waste into a stream or river; there are environmental laws against this. And it would cost too much money to clean up the toxic mess. Ah, what better way to solve this problem than to SELL it (yes, for $$$$!) to municipal water companies across the country. Let them add it to the public drinking water .... for what purpose?.... to prevent cavities, right?
But fluoridation DOES prevent cavities, doesn't it?
That's what we have been told ever since we saw those propaganda films back in the 50's. But even the proponents of water fluoridation admit that, if there is a benefit (and that is most assuredly debatable!), it is through topical application of the fluoride onto the teeth, NOT by taking it systemically. And certainly NOT by ingesting it in the form of toxic waste from the fertilizer industry.
Fluoride is a carcinogen (osteocarcoma and cancer of the liver). It stresses kidney function. It contributes to arthritis. It causes dental fluorosis of the teeth. It works with lead to block cognitive functioning of the brain. It contributes to hypothyroidism. The list of damages that can be attributed to fluoride goes on and on.
David Kennedy, DDS, has produced a very comprehensive video about the evils of fluoridation, called "Fluoride Gate." I highly recommend that you watch it. See how a top-level scientist from the EPA was fired when he tried to expose this problem way back in the 90's!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpw5fGt4UvI#t=10
On a personal level, I have tried to alert my local water company about this problem. But without huge numbers of people crying out for a change to this policy, nothing will happen. So the best I can do at this point is educate. I am a member of Fluoride Action Network. Here is a link to that organization's website. It's loaded with well-documented info:
http://fluoridealert.org/articles/50-reasons/
So it's gotta be ok for us to consume, right?
Big pharma sells fluoride in the form of a drug. It has been defined as such by the FDA. If you want to take pharmaceutical-grade fluoride in a pill, you have to have a doctor's prescription. You would be instructed to take a certain amount based upon your age and weight in order not to exceed "safe limits of consumption."
Would it surprise you to learn that the FDA has never actually approved fluoride for safety and efficacy? And yet, this unapproved "drug" is dumped into 70% of the tap water in this country. Without our consent. Without a prescription from our doctor. Without taking into account "dosage intake" based upon age or weight. Without any warnings to the public of the harm it can cause.
Would it surprise you to learn that the fluoride that is dumped into our water is NOT pharmaceutical grade (sodium fluoride), such as is found in toothpaste and mouth wash? It is derived largely from the toxic chemical waste of the phosphate fertilizer industry, and is defined as fluorosilicic acid.
Fluorosilicic acid = the waste accumulated after the fertilizer industry scrubs down its smoke stacks. They cannot dump this toxic waste into a stream or river; there are environmental laws against this. And it would cost too much money to clean up the toxic mess. Ah, what better way to solve this problem than to SELL it (yes, for $$$$!) to municipal water companies across the country. Let them add it to the public drinking water .... for what purpose?.... to prevent cavities, right?
But fluoridation DOES prevent cavities, doesn't it?
That's what we have been told ever since we saw those propaganda films back in the 50's. But even the proponents of water fluoridation admit that, if there is a benefit (and that is most assuredly debatable!), it is through topical application of the fluoride onto the teeth, NOT by taking it systemically. And certainly NOT by ingesting it in the form of toxic waste from the fertilizer industry.
Fluoride is a carcinogen (osteocarcoma and cancer of the liver). It stresses kidney function. It contributes to arthritis. It causes dental fluorosis of the teeth. It works with lead to block cognitive functioning of the brain. It contributes to hypothyroidism. The list of damages that can be attributed to fluoride goes on and on.
David Kennedy, DDS, has produced a very comprehensive video about the evils of fluoridation, called "Fluoride Gate." I highly recommend that you watch it. See how a top-level scientist from the EPA was fired when he tried to expose this problem way back in the 90's!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpw5fGt4UvI#t=10
On a personal level, I have tried to alert my local water company about this problem. But without huge numbers of people crying out for a change to this policy, nothing will happen. So the best I can do at this point is educate. I am a member of Fluoride Action Network. Here is a link to that organization's website. It's loaded with well-documented info:
http://fluoridealert.org/articles/50-reasons/
Monday, April 28, 2014
EMF, very B-A-D
Way back when, in one of my first posts, I discussed an environmental problem that I am pretty sure triggered my cancer. Hours and hours of laptop exposure, in the exact location where the tumor developed, no doubt was a culprit in the growth of the cancer. Was it the only trigger? Probably not. We all know that environmental factors contribute to cancer. Pesticides, genetically modified food, toxins in our air and water, plastics -- the list is long.
We don't see toxins, but they are there. We don't see nano crap in our food, but it is there. Studies have been done, links have been made. One of the worst, in my opinion, is electro-magnetic field radiation, dirty electricity. Our wireless technology is killing us. Cell phone towers, cordless phones, cell phones next to our ears and stored in our pants pockets and bras... they are killing us, rendering men sterile and causing breast tumors. If you haven't seen it, check out the youtube video in my blog sidebar with the descriptor "Keep your cell phone away from your body."
Before I developed the tumor just beneath my breast (and yes, I say I (moi, me, myself) helped to develop it, with my very bad habit of resting my laptop against my chest wall for hours at a time!), I became very active in the movement to fight installation of Smart Meters in my area. You probably already have one of these not-so-smart devices on the side of your very own home. Not sure? Go outside and check. Since I live in the state of Maryland, I joined a group called Smart Meter Awareness. Their website is loaded with good info about the whole smart meter issue. In their sidebar, they invite you to view a video entitled "Take Back Your Power." It is very well documented and informative. Please watch it. You will learn a lot. You have to rent it to view, but that's because the folks who put it together paid for it on their own and through crowd-funding. Here is their website:
http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org
Here is another link with a couple of videos... including some solutions for blocking the EMF radiation from the smart meter (pretty clever!) At the moment, I do not have a smart meter, but PEPCO will be charging me $75 to opt out of the program and I will have to pay a monthly opt out fee. Also, I will still not be protected from the radiation that comes off of my neighbors' meters.
Bummer!
http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2014/03/smart-meter-home-need-read-warning.html
We don't see toxins, but they are there. We don't see nano crap in our food, but it is there. Studies have been done, links have been made. One of the worst, in my opinion, is electro-magnetic field radiation, dirty electricity. Our wireless technology is killing us. Cell phone towers, cordless phones, cell phones next to our ears and stored in our pants pockets and bras... they are killing us, rendering men sterile and causing breast tumors. If you haven't seen it, check out the youtube video in my blog sidebar with the descriptor "Keep your cell phone away from your body."
Before I developed the tumor just beneath my breast (and yes, I say I (moi, me, myself) helped to develop it, with my very bad habit of resting my laptop against my chest wall for hours at a time!), I became very active in the movement to fight installation of Smart Meters in my area. You probably already have one of these not-so-smart devices on the side of your very own home. Not sure? Go outside and check. Since I live in the state of Maryland, I joined a group called Smart Meter Awareness. Their website is loaded with good info about the whole smart meter issue. In their sidebar, they invite you to view a video entitled "Take Back Your Power." It is very well documented and informative. Please watch it. You will learn a lot. You have to rent it to view, but that's because the folks who put it together paid for it on their own and through crowd-funding. Here is their website:
http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org
Here is another link with a couple of videos... including some solutions for blocking the EMF radiation from the smart meter (pretty clever!) At the moment, I do not have a smart meter, but PEPCO will be charging me $75 to opt out of the program and I will have to pay a monthly opt out fee. Also, I will still not be protected from the radiation that comes off of my neighbors' meters.
Bummer!
http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2014/03/smart-meter-home-need-read-warning.html
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
A is for Apricot
B is for B-17
C is for Cyanide (really? yes, really)
I just finished munching on my daily allotment of apricot kernels. It occurred to me that this would be a good time to post a bit about this wonderful cure from nature.
I learned about this therapy way before I had cancer, from a book entitled "A World Without Cancer," by G. Edward Griffin. The book is quite detailed and well-researched and foot-noted. Griffin also produced a documentary with the same title. Again, it is a documentary, not very slick, not meant to entertain, but to inform. Because I have promised to report to so many of you all of the therapies I am utilizing for my cancer, I thought I should include this very interesting video. The most effective use of B-17, or laetrile, is by injection. But alas.... as with so many therapies, it is not available in this country. So rather than trekking off to Mexico, I just munch on apricot kernels, which I can purchase at my local health food store. Oh... and when I eat an apple, I eat the entire core, seeds and all (same benefits as apricot kernels).
C is for Cyanide (really? yes, really)
I just finished munching on my daily allotment of apricot kernels. It occurred to me that this would be a good time to post a bit about this wonderful cure from nature.
I learned about this therapy way before I had cancer, from a book entitled "A World Without Cancer," by G. Edward Griffin. The book is quite detailed and well-researched and foot-noted. Griffin also produced a documentary with the same title. Again, it is a documentary, not very slick, not meant to entertain, but to inform. Because I have promised to report to so many of you all of the therapies I am utilizing for my cancer, I thought I should include this very interesting video. The most effective use of B-17, or laetrile, is by injection. But alas.... as with so many therapies, it is not available in this country. So rather than trekking off to Mexico, I just munch on apricot kernels, which I can purchase at my local health food store. Oh... and when I eat an apple, I eat the entire core, seeds and all (same benefits as apricot kernels).
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