Contributing Factors to Cancer: Part 2 (Acidity)

Cancer thrives in acidic environments. In fact, -- did you know this? -- cancer almost always starts in an area where there's inflammation. (Inflammation is the immune system's way of dealing with acidity.) Where there is inflammation, normal cells can more easily be damaged, or there's a greater possibility of a mistake being made during cell division -- or both things can happen -- and a tumor is born. 

So how does one eliminate acidity -- how does one become more alkaline? Well, there are the "foods" component,  the "stress" component, and the "toxins" component.

Let's start with Foods:
Sugar is the biggest single food culprit because it packs a triple whammy. Not only does cancer feast on sugar (see the post about that here), but sugar itself is acidic and it causes the pancreas to secrete insulin which is very acidic (pH of 4; neutral is 7). So it  makes sense that the less sugar you eat, the more even your blood sugar level, and the less insulin your body has to deal with.

All sugars (white, brown, powdered, honey, maple, molasses, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrup -- did I miss any?) appear to have this affect. Medical doctors and nutritionists will tell you, "Research shows that all sweeteners are identical in the body." But that's poppycock because there is also research that shows that natural sweeteners such as raw (not heated) honey and maple syrup have nutrients not found in refined sweeteners, and that our bodies do, in fact, know the difference. 

(Artificial sweeteners are not included in this post because they are so horrible they should be ingested only by mosquitos and wasps.) 

So I have chosen to include raw honey (straight from the bees, only filtered to remove bee parts and wax) because of its nutritive value. For instance, raw honey actually decreases fatty deposits in the vascular system. Does this mean that a person with heart disease should eat a lot of raw honey? Of course not. There's still the insulin factor to consider. But should a person include a bit of raw honey as part of their nutritious diet? Absolutely.  

Here's an interesting side note: We now know that heart disease is caused by inflammation, not cholesterol, as has been previously preached. And preached. And preached. But cholesterol actually acts as a fireman, putting out the fire that is inflammation. So the presence of abnormal levels of cholesterol in the blood merely indicates that there's a problem -- sort of like a dead canary in a deep mine. Poor misunderstood cholesterol . . .

Okay, where was I?

Oh. Acidic foods. Okay. Coffee is another substance that promotes acidity. But you knew that already, right? (I still treat myself to it once in awhile because it makes a horrible day not nearly so sucky.  A person's mental health is important too, right?) 

Chemical residues (e.g. pesticides, preservatives) cause acidity and therefore inflammation. If the label doesn't say "organic," or if you don't know the grower's methods personally, you'll likely be ingesting tiny amounts of poison. It may not seem like much each time, but ponder how it accumulates over the course of a day. Then ponder how your body has to run every bit of it thru your liver -- twice -- in order to break it down into a form that won't hurt your kidneys. Poor, hard-working liver. When it can't handle the load, it shuttles the half-processed toxins off to be stored in other areas -- joints, fat, other organs -- until it has time and energy to finish the process. But then tomorrow comes and you eat some more, and then some more, and it never gets back to it. Sort of like the piles of stuff in my laundry room. And my bedroom. And the garage. Sigh.

Moving on.

The Stress Component:
All stress is not bad. Some of us thrive on it -- to a point. Each person's threshold is a little (or a lot) different. Also, it depends on how you feel about your stress level. If you think you're stressed out, then you are. If you're having fun keeping nine balls in the air at once, you're probably fine. But watch out for your breaking point. That tenth ball can sneak in under your radar.

There are quite a few forms of stress. Of course, there are the negative ones like Anger and Dread and Frustration and Deadlines. But there are also "positive" stressors like Elation and Excitement.

Turns out, we are affected physically by our emotions. True fact. If we're happy, our bodies are secreting hormones like seratonin and dopamine which actually change the chemistry in our whole body in a good way. If we're stressed out or angry, our bodies secrete other chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine (formerly known as adrenaline). These do things like increase the heart rate and blood pressure (making the heart work harder), and decrease digestion. So yes, our emotions affect us physically. 

What does that have to do with acidity?  Well, the "negative" hormones become acidic if they hang around too long.  Here's an analogy for you:  If you're sitting in front of a computer trying to beat a deadline because there's an ax hanging over your head, the cortisol and nor-epi (which would normally be used up by your muscles in running away from the scary thing) are stranded in your body's tissues, becoming acidic, causing inflammation, making your body expend energy to fix it . . . So the moral of the story is:  Think happy thoughts.

The Toxin Component:
I pretty much covered this in this post, so in the interest of brevity (or at least not-too- long-ity), I'll skip over it here. Just know that toxins are acidic.

As an interesting side note, viruses such as those that cause the common cold or the flu love acidic conditions. You probably knew that. But did you know that acidity also contributes to osteoporosis and gum disease because minerals (e.g. calcium and magnesium) are drawn out of the bones and teeth to buffer acid (sort of like Tums buffer stomach acid)? While you're at it, consider other inflammatory conditions like gout, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, all forms of arthritis, diabetes . . .

The list is long and the reasons are many to alkalize your system.

So how do you know if you're acidic or not?
You can find pH test strips in drugs stores -- probably even Walmart. I got mine online, here. (No compensation for this link, but you're welcome.) The directions come with the strips, so I won't go into that here. Just know that whether you're testing either your saliva or your urine, the testing should be done first thing in the morning before brushing your teeth or eating/drinking anything. And saliva will test a little more acidic (6.0-7.5) than urine (6.5-7.5). (The lower the number, the more acidic.)

And now the million-dollar question:
How do you help your body to become more alkaline (i.e. less acidic)?

• Cut out all forms of sugar. I figure if I shoot for 100% clean (from refined sugars), then I can afford to have some fruit or raw honey without upsetting the chemistry too much.
• Eat lots of vegetables and supplement with one of the "greens" powders on the market. I like Primal Force's UltraGreen mixed in some applesauce, but here's another link with interesting information, especially with regard to diabetes. (Links are for informational purposes only. Alas, I am not getting paid to drop names.)
• Animal proteins (meat, eggs and dairy) are quite acidic, probably because they take longer to digest. That doesn't mean you should cut them out, though. Their nutrients are important to your body's health. I read somewhere that 60% alkaline was a good goal to aim for, which means you need 40% acidic foods. It's all about balance.
• When you eat grains, rice and legumes, eat the unprocessed whole kind, and soak them overnight to break down the phytic acid and aromatase inhibitors (never mind what those are; this post is long enough). Then rinse well and add fresh water to cook.
• Exercise (provided it isn't too intense) burns the toxins that are causing your body to be acidic, so go for a 30-minute walk every day.
• Shop for organic foods -- even canned goods. And stay away from refined, processed, instant, pre-made, or boxed things.
• Use water that hasn't been chemical-ized with fluoride, chlorine, etc. (This is probably a subject for another post, it's so complex.)
• Here's the hardest thing to change -- If you're a person who tends to fret, stew, seethe, criticize, and judge, then teach yourself to think on more virtuous matters because you're making your body acidic. If there's something that can be done about a situation, do it. If not, set it aside. Better yet, give it to God whose hands are big enough to handle ANYthing. 

Lastly, here's another side note that I found immensely interesting:
It takes eight hours after eating for the body to finish digestion duties and decide it's okay to direct its energy toward cleaning house. The detox process then takes at least four hours (for just that day's worth of toxins). Thus, there needs to be at least 12 hours between the last food/drink of the evening and the first food/drink the following morning.  Do you see where this is leading?  Yup, all those late-evening snacks when you get the munchies are keeping your body from ever being able to clean house. 

There's a pretty easy fix, though. Just don't eat too late in the evening. Or if you must, then wait at least 12 hours to have breakfast. For example, if you have supper at 6:00 p.m., then you can have breakfast anytime after 6:00 a.m. the next morning. If it's your company Christmas party and you don't finish eating until 9:30 p.m., just figure you'll have brunch about 9:30 or 10:00 the next morning. It's pretty do-able, and your body will thank you.

Okay, that's it for this time. Odds are good that I've forgotten something -- left a gaping hole in the information -- so leave me a comment and I'll address it later.

Cancer is Wily

I learned something old last week. Does that ever happen to you? Do you ever read something, or someone tells you something, and a lightbulb goes on . . . and about a second later you realize you already knew that but it was buried under who-knows-what-kind-of-minutiae that apparently mattered more? Happens to me all the time. Sigh.

Anyway, cancer begins with a single cell (or maybe a few cells) that was damaged by toxins (stress chemicals, pesticides, etc.) and then when it divided (which is how cells multiply), it made two damaged cells. Which then divided to make four damaged cells, etc. etc. After a few months or years or decades (depending on the type of cancer and how fast it divides), there are enough abnormal cells to be seen as a tumor. With me so far?

Most normal cells are programmed to stop dividing at a certain point, but cancer cells have mutated in such a way that they don't have a shut-off switch. They will keep dividing -- and at a faster rate than normal cells -- until they kill the host by robbing it of the nutrition it needs. It becomes a parasite in the truest sense of the word.

So cancer cells are not programmed to die as normal cells are. But here's the really interesting thing. They mutate to the point that they provide their own food source. In essence, they eat their own (recycled) poop. Is that not ingenious?  Here's how it works:

Cancer loves sugar, right? (also known as glucose). When a normal cell processes glucose, the by-products are carbon dioxide and water. We get rid of the carbon dioxide by exhaling, and the water by urinating. So far so good? Well, when a cancer cell processes glucose, the by-product is lactate (the same stuff that makes your muscles hurt when you've over-exerted). Lactate isn't just urinated or exhaled out. No, it has to go to the liver where it's broken down into . . . wait for it . . . glucose! . . . which goes back into circulation and feeds the cancer. It's an endless, ingenious cycle!

That's the old thing I learned last week. Cool, huh?

The kicker is that no matter how carefully I cut out ingested sugars, theoretically, the cancer will still survive. Thrive, even.

So I may as well go have that fried ice cream I've been hankering for, right?

Nah. Because sugar (and homogenized pasteurized dairy) still creates an acidic environment, and that's exactly the way cancer likes it. I think my cancer's pretty much gone, but I don't want it to come back, so I'm all about maintaining an unfriendly environment for it.

Interesting thought though, yes?

Well THAT was anticlimactic.

Remember when I had thermography pictures taken a couple weeks ago? Well, I finally got the report back last week.  Something of a let-down, but interesting, nonetheless.

I guess I was hoping for something as definitive as “Nothing remarkable noted.” Would’ve been nice, but not realistic.  Actually, now that I think about it, a report like that would’ve been suspicious because there are still numerous cysts that should show up.

Anyway . . . It was not definitive either way. It did not say “You have cancer” or “You don’t have cancer.” It said (and I paraphrase), “There are lots of areas of hyperthermia that should be checked out by a qualified physician. They might be nothing or they might be something.”  So that was the let-down part.

The interesting part was buried in paragraph 7. “. . . Fibrocystic changes likely represent excess estrogen relative to progesterone (estrogen dominance). Supplementation with a bio-identical progesterone cream may be beneficial . . . Fibrocystic changes sometimes respond to discontinuing all caffeine and/or supplementing with iodine, selenium and vitamin D3.” [emphasis mine]

That’s the first I’ve heard of a known cause of cysts in the breasts. Estrogen/progesterone imbalance.  And it makes perfect sense. Why didn’t I put 2 and 2 together long before now? Duh.

(Warning: My male readers might want to stop here and go hunting or fly your RC thingamajig or do some other guy thing because the direction I’m going will probably not sit well with your stomachs.)

See ladies, I’ve been dealing with two beasts. The breast cancer – diagnosed in July – has been a walk in the park compared to the other beast – menopause.  I haven’t had your typical, run-of-the-mill hot flashes and moodiness. No, I have had horrendously vicious, raging, hemorrhaging, menstrual issues that have been steadily getting worse over the past several years. I recently discovered that this is greatly improved by taking herbs that urge my body to produce more progesterone.  Ding! (light going on) I have had an abundance of estrogen in my system for a lot of years – partly due to a diet promoting it, but ultimately because excess fat secretes estrogen. So of course the ratio of estrogen::progesterone is off kilter. Of course!

I was so focused on cutting out the estrogen that I didn’t think about upping the progesterone. It would have the same effect – bringing the ratio into line. Yes, that ratio needs to be in the lower numbers because I don’t want to be feeding the cancer, but it needs to be in balance for my body to function properly. Therefore, if I want to get rid of the cancer and the cysts and the horrible wretched menstrual issues, I need to bring down the estrogen and bring up the progesterone.

The other Ding! moment was the mention of iodine, selenium and vitamin D3 in the same sentence. I have read of the importance of each of these things individually – “selenium is great against cancer”; “iodine is vital to thyroid health”; and “vitamin D3 is an integral part of dozens of reactions in the body.” But they didn’t come together in my mind until I read this report.

So yeah, those two tidbits of information make me feel a lot better about the $135 I spent on pictures.

I guess I'm back to square one with regard to checking my progress. Not going to worry about it at this point, though. I have lots of work to do, and when the time is right, I’ll figure out how to know about the cancer. Or maybe I won’t. We’ll see.

Cutting Out Toxins

The last post was getting so long, I decided to write about the solutions to the contributing factor of Toxins seperately. So this is that.

As you have read (and read and read), there are gazillions of toxins in our environment today. Some of them are pretty much outside our control -- satellite signals, for instance. But the biggest number of toxins and chemicals that really affect us big-time are very much within the realm of our control. It isn't even all that hard. You just decide to change one or two things to start with, and once you've got them licked, you'll probably want to tackle something else. If not, hey, you're still better off than you used to be. But trying to do it all in a week is just setting yourself up for failure, so don't go there.

Here are a few ideas of things you can change without too much pain:

Ditch the microwave. Or at least use it on low power (but then what's the point, because it takes longer). Using high power (which is usually the default setting) kills nutrients more than stove-top cooking does (here's an interesting article with the science of it). If you're going to spend your hard-earned dollars on organic food, don't shoot yourself in the foot by microwaving it. As an aside, apparently a fair number of microwave ovens leak radiation.  So now you have two very good reasons to go back to the old-fashioned stove and oven. Three, if you count in having more counter space.  (If you have one of those over-the-range kinds, you now have another place to store stuff.)

As for thawing frozen meat, remember when we used to take meat out of the freezer in the morning so it would be thawed by supper time? It's called planning ahead. I'm not very good at it, so I usually end up steaming frozen meat in a fry pan with a tablespoon of water (lid on, medium-high heat) prior to frying. Or cook it in broth (i.e. chicken). Works for me. 

Eat more of your food raw. I shoot for 65% raw -- juiced or munched or smoothied.  But for the things you just can't stomach raw or cold -- like meat or eggs or oatmeal -- my favorite pan has turned out to be a ceramic-coated one. It's very slippery so clean-up is a snap.  I can plop in a big spoonful of oats or some leftover soup or a couple of eggs, put the lid on, and let it cook on medium heat while I put in a load of laundry or comb my hair. I'm amazed at how fast things warm up. Granted, I'm cooking for one now (big grin), but you'll figure out a way that works for you.

Shop organic. Farmers' markets are a great option during the summer, but winter is here now, so that's nixed. If your area doesn't have an organic grocery store, there are online sources such as Azure Standard and Bountiful Baskets which deliver to a central point where you can pick up your order. Kirstyn's been using Azure for a few years but their website can be overwhelming for one so organizationally-challenged as I.

As for anti-perspirants, there are a whole lot of things you can use that won't harm you and that will keep you smelling sweet. First of all, you need to understand that it isn't the sweat that smells; it's the bacteria that reproduces in the sweat. It takes that bacteria 10-12 hrs to build up to the point of being smelly, so if you shower every day, you should be fine without anything. Showering every day, however, is not such a great idea because it washes off your natural oils which protect your skin and help to make it an effective barrier against outside pathogens.  And having dry skin makes you want to slather on the lotion which is probably full of chemicals. I've found that a salt crystal (looks like a clear rock) works well for me. When I first started using it, I put the ladies in the office on notice to inform me if they ever noticed an odor. So far, so good (about a year now).

There is some concern about the use of talcum powders being connected with ovarian cancer. Cornstarch is a decent replacement, but then you have to wonder if it's GMO corn you're putting all over your body. I've quit using powder at all. One less thing to buy. (grin)

Water:  I'm still working on this one. It'd be nice to have a whole-house water purifier that would take out all the crap including fluoride, but those run in the thousands of dollars, so for now, Culligan is delivering five-gallon jugs of reverse-osmosis'd water to my doorstep. Maybe the coolest part of it is the neat dispenser that has both cold and (almost boiling) hot water on demand. Instant tea and no more tea kettle!  We're still showering and washing dishes/laundry in tap water, but one thing at a time. I came across an article recently that said reverse osmosis water isn't good for people either, but as near as I can tell, it's still better than drinking Belgrade's tap water. So until something better comes along . . .

That's enough to get you started. Half the fun is figuring out how to overcome the challenges you meet, so go for it!

Contributing Factors to Cancer: Part 1 (Toxins)

I've been thinking about doing a post on all the (known so far) contributing factors of cancer in general -- and breast cancer, specifically -- and it looks like today's the day. Ready? Here we go.

Toxins:  (hoo-boy, this is a big subject! Where to start? . . .)
Okay, let's start externally and work our way in. 
These are largely beyond a person's control:

• Satellite signals (to and from, as well as ricocheting off Earth's surface) from 1,071 satellites now orbiting our fair planet  (boggles the mind, doesn't it?)
• Radio, television and cell phone signals (not just our own, but everybody else's, too)
• Wireless everything (modems, routers, keyboards, telephones, printers -- even the watch you're wearing)
• Electrical everything. That's right; if it plugs in, it's emitting electromagnetic radiation.
• Can you imagine how thick the air would be from all these signals if we could see them?
• Vehicle exhaust (other people's, of course; your own car doesn't pollute, right?)
• Formaldehyde fumes from carpet, furniture, new fabrics, even toys
• Chemicals in plastic (which is absolutely everywhere, even lining paper plates and tin cans and leaching into our food) 
• Chemical air fresheners and scented candles 
• Radiation from microwave ovens, CT scans, mammograms, airport security . . .
• Okay, this last one is pretty much controllable, especially if you never fly.

Then there are the toxins we take in through our skin. Ever thought about that? Our skin is actually considered to be an organ. In some circles, it's called the "Third Lung".
These are largely within our control:

• Chemicals in shampoo, conditioner, body wash, antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, hair styling products, hair dyes, skin care, makeup, toothpaste, mouthwash, lotion, sunscreen, perfume/cologne, nail polish, nail polish remover, laundry detergent, fabric softener . . . (Stop and count how many of these you use; I'll wait.)
• Anti-perspirants (This one gets its very own bullet point because it's so moronic.) Remember when folks used to be happy with taking a bath once a week? (Okay, maybe you don't remember it, but it actually happened, I promise.) Then we used to be happy with deodorant, which masked the scent of body odor. Then some brilliant scientist said, "Hey, let's clog the pores so we don't sweat at all! That'll take care of the smell for a whole day!" And we've been slathering on chemicals -- right over a bunch of lymph glands -- ever since. Does this sound incredibly dim to anybody else?
• Flu shots and other immunizations (Holy cow! Do you realize how many of these things we're injecting our babies with at a time when their little immune systems are still developing? 49 doses to protect against sixteen diseases. Forty-nine!) (here's the link to the CDC's recommendations)
• Second-hand smoke
• Household cleaners
  
• The water we shower in. Depending on your location, it's probably a cocktail of chemicals. If you want to have nightmares, take a look at this list provided by the EPA. What a price to pay for "clean" water.

Okay, now let's talk about the toxins we actually ingest.
These are also mostly within our control:

• Chemicals used to keep pests of all sorts from ruining the crop, aka Pesticides (Just because it kills bugs and weeds doesn't mean it'll hurt humans, right?)
• Chemicals used to prolong shelf life, aka Preservatives (If we eat enough, will we live forever?)
• Chemicals to make anemic foods prettier, aka Food Dyes
• Chemicals to make things pour easier (e.g. salt)
• Chemicals to keep things from settling out and looking gross, aka Emulsifiers
• Chemicals to make food taste tastier. (e.g. MSG, aka monosodium glutamate, aka "Natural Flavors") That one cracks me up.
• Chemicals used in turning food into non-food (Potassium bromate is a biggy; used to oxidize flour so the bread will have those tiny little air pockets and be light and fluffy and *white*. PB blocks the body's absorption of iodine, causing thyroid dysfunction which in turn causes all sorts of problems, not the least of which are hair loss and depression.) 
• Artifical sweeteners. As if refined sugar weren't bad enough, we now have a whole handful of  "worse" choices -- saccharin (Sweet 'n Low), acesulfame (Sweet One), neotame (NutraSweet), sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), and of course HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). It now looks like the the concept of artificial sweeteners being better for us was one big lie. (click here)
• Alcohol
• Non-stick coating from cookware
• BPA's and other chemicals from plastic.
• Genetically-modified foods. Monsanto has been gentically engineering seeds for fun and profit since 1983 (tobacco was first). And since 1995 when GMO soybeans were introduced, the train has picked up speed. Now -- less than 20 years later -- almost all soybeans and most corn, cotton and canola oil are GMO. Pretty quick work! To quote from a book I just read, "Monsanto creates seeds that produce plants that cannot replicate, forcing the user to buy new seed each year. Through testing performed on mice . . . neutering effects have been observed to end propagation of the species." (Re-mission Through Divine Order by Scot Guariglia, p. 40) Pretty cool, huh? And soy is in practically everything the typical American eats. Do you suppose that has anything to do with the increase in fertility problems and difficulties in carrying babies to full term?
• Anyway, our bodies don't recognize the genetic makeup of GMO "foods", but we continue to dump them in anyway because we're stupid and lazy and all we care about is fast and tasty.
• And let's not forget the water we drink. Filtering is inexact because it's hard to remove some of the chemicals that form covalent bonds with water molecules. "Covalent": remember that word from chemistry class a hunnerd years ago?  Let's just say covalent bonds are very hard to unstick. Hence, your normal run-of-the-mill filter systems can't do the job. This means that you're probably still drinking fluoride and some chloramines (not to be confused with chlorine), both of which are very toxic to humans. That's probably a whole other post which I will probably never write because I'm tired of being disgusted.

Um, where were we? Oh, other causes of cancer. (This is going to be really long, isn't it? I'll try to talk faster.)

This brings us to the toxins we create within our own bodies because of the thoughts we think and the emotions we feel. When we are suddenly frightened (the old bear-in-the-woods scenario), our very wise bodies secrete norepinephrine (aka adrenaline) and cortisol to speed up our heart rate, slow down digestion (or in some cases, evacuate it), and send blood to the muscles so we can run!  This is all well and good, but every time we get upset and stew over something of perceived importance, our bodies think they're supposed to act. Problem is, there's no shut-off because the stewing goes on and on and on . . . So our poor bodies are trying to prepare us to run from a bear that actually comes from within. So stewing over the mess our country is in? or the choices your off-spring are making? or the remark somebody made to somebody else that might have been about you? or stewing over finances? or your spouse's philandering? or a loved one's illness? . . . all toxic to your body. 

So . . . we breathe in, eat in, drink in, live in and think in a chemical soup which our bodies do a pretty good job of handling, all things considered. They keep plugging away, filtering and cleaning and defecating out the crud -- with not a word of thanks from us because we're blissfully (read: obstinately) unaware -- but they gradually get farther and farther behind. The liver -- which has to cycle all these toxins twice -- gets overwhelmed and starts shunting them off to be stored and dealt with later . . . in our adipose tissue (read: fat). 

Some of the toxins settle out in our joints (causing arthritis) or intestines (irritable bowel syndrome, Crohns disease) or bone marrow (leukemia) or . . . the list is almost endless. Because toxins are toxic, they cause inflammation, which produces heat. In an effort to cool the system, our bodies manufacture mucus to coat the inflamed areas and contain the toxins. So mucus should be one of the biggest, reddest red flags there is. Coughing up crud? Fibroid cysts in your breasts? Mucus in your stool? All signs that your body is struggling. 

And if you have mucus in one area, it's a sure bet you have it in others areas too, because what affects one part of the body affects all the rest.

So negative! All these toxins coming from every direction . . . sounds pretty hopeless.

Nope, not a bit. 

You see, we have these amazing bodies that God crafted, and He built into them the ability to heal themselves. We just have to quit dumping the toxins into them and give them the chance to clean themselves out.  Many toxins are beyond our control, but the ones that really count -- the ones that make it inside our skin barrier -- are completely within our control. Sure, it's hard -- it takes time and effort -- but it's do-able. You just have to decide . . . do you want to play the whiny victim? . . . or do you want to stand up and take responsibility for your own welfare, your own . . . disease?

In the Interest of Honesty . . .

Since dishonesty would not be helpful to anyone (least of all, me), I have tried to be ultra-truthful about what I'm doing. With that in mind, I have a confession to make.

I am tired of drinking vegetable juice (and cleaning up the juicer). I am tired of swallowing pills (and looking at the bottles taking up counter space). I am tired of trying to drink an entire lake of water every day (and running to the bathroom every 47 minutes). I am tired of eating things that are good for me. Even if they do taste good.

So I had a really good cheeseburger at Fuddruckers today -- bread and all. And their awesome fries. (With more than a small dab of fry sauce on both.) Then I had a fantastic hot fudge sundae at Dairy Queen.

Burp.

Know why I'm tired of juice and pills and water and health food? Because I'm not doing it right. 

You see, when I'm diligent about doing everything I know to do -- eating carefully; getting up early to walk or use the rebounder every day; drinking lots of water; doing skin brushing; doing castor oil packs; doing de-tox breathing exercises; disciplining my thoughts constantly; and getting acupuncture and lymph drainage treatments every other week -- I don't crave anything. 

But then I get weary of taking care of business.

So I slack off. 

And things start to unravel.

It really tasted good and I don't feel any worse for it, but I know it'll take me quite a few days to make up for the crud I swallowed in just a few minutes.  Bummer how that works, isn't it?

So how was your day so far?

P.S. Don't leave me any "feel good" comments on this, okay? Don't tell me how it's okay and that you'd get tired of a regimen like that too, because that is so not the point. I won't beat myself up over it, but I also won't lie to myself and say it's okay, because it isn't. I set myself back a ways today.  Lesson learned.

How do I know whether or not I'm making progress?

I just know. The same way I knew I had cancer a couple of months before the actual diagnosis. (This is not terribly impressive since the cancer has likely been growing in there for 10-12 years.) I think it's pretty much gone now, but my body is still a long way from being healthy (i.e., the fibroid cysts are shrinking, but still very much present), so my work isn't finished yet.

I had initially planned to have another mammogram in six months (which would be January '14), but since then, my research has made that seem like a bad idea. You see, mammograms pack 100 (or, some articles say 1,000) times the radiation of a chest xray, so voluntarily doing that to myself seems pretty silly just to prove a point. Also, mammograms aren't definitive because they can only detect tumors that are already 1-5 billion cells big.

But then . . .

I accidently heard about something called "Thermography." It uses an infrared camera to take pictures of the heat emanating from the body. Cancer cells divide much faster than normal cells, so they put off more heat -- show up "hotter." And get this -- It picks up cancer ten years (10!) sooner than mammograms or CT scans!  AND there's no radiation involved.  So why are mammograms still so prevalent? No idea. I suppose, like most things, it has do with money.

Anyway, I finally found someone who does thermography here in Bozeman, so I got my pictures taken a few days ago. Have to wait two weeks for the report, but it looked pretty good to my untrained eye.  We'll see what the experts have to say. Have an awesome week, y'all!