I put UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors together because, as a survivor, I saw the need for a book that treated breast cancer as a do-able experience—and, indeed, the response to it has been remarkable. The book contains useful woman-to-woman hints—things the doctor doesn’t say—practical advice on topics ranging from what deodorant to use during radiation, to what minimizes nausea during chemo, to how to feel feminine and upbeat. This advice comes first-hand, in the words of 370+ breast cancer survivors, their sisters, children, parents, lovers, and friends. The new 3rd Edition adds updates, five years later, from many of the original contributors.
The following are some uplifting tips from breast cancer survivors. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do:
The Worry Box
"I found a box and glued colorful scraps of wrapping paper on the top. Inside it, each morning, I tucked handwritten notes about my worries and fears. Then I closed the lid and went on with the rest of the day." Nancy Burgess, in the "TAKING THE REINS" chapter.
The Art of Healing
"Go to a theater, a museum, a concert or ballet. Art can take us out of ourselves, lift us beyond our immediate environment, enrich us spiritually and aesthetically. Opening yourself to great beauty is always a life-enhancer. In times of crisis, it’s also healing." Susan Stamberg, in the "TAKING THE REINS" chapter.
Pins and Needles
"Apparently, there is a dressmaker in Chicago who had prostheses made out of her pin cushions, so that she could conveniently stick her needles and pins into her chest when sewing and making alterations!" Darlene Jurow, in the "HUMOR" chapter.
Eating With Friends
"I found conventional support group meetings difficult, so I formed my own support dinner group. We dine out every couple of months to discuss having breast cancer. We also share stories of our spouses, children, and travels." Deborah J.P. Schur, in the "SUPPORT GROUP" chapter.
Drinking Helps
"Someone told me my chemo symptoms sounded like a really bad hangover! Their suggestion that Gatorade was good for hangovers led to my drinking gallons of it, which helped steady that queasy shakiness." Jane Vaughan, in the "CHEMO AND EVERYTHING ELSE" chapter.
Accentuate the Positive
"Perhaps the most significant outcome of my battle with breast cancer is that I have changed my outlook on life. I now regard life as precious and try not to focus on negative things. Eliminating stress and resentment from my life and concentrating on the positive things has become my goal. I am now more at peace with myself. "
Sandy Mark, in the "PURE UPLIFT" chapter.
Looking Ahead
"It’s been five years, nine months for me, but who’s counting! I still think about my cancer, but less and less. I’m exercising more now. I really found out how good it was after my surgery and I got into a program for cancer survivors. I only wished I had started earlier in life. Now I faithfully visit the Y to start off my day."
Judy Peterson, in the "FAST FORWARD" chapter.
About the author:
Barbara Delinsky is a bestselling author. Her novels are highly emotional, character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship. They regularly appear on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today Bestseller Lists. UPLIFT: Secrets of the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors is Barbara’s first non-fiction work.
Barbara donates all of her proceeds from the sale of UPLIFT to her charitable foundation for breast cancer research. So far, the sale of the book has allowed the Barbara Delinsky Charitable Foundation to fund three years of a breast surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. The focus of the fellowship is to launch the career of a surgical oncologist with an additional year of training focused on innovative breast cancer treatments and research, hopefully offering returns to the field of cancer research for decades to come.
Monday, January 17, 2011
This Herceptin treatment
This Herceptin treatment article has been written by my wife Marjory. Herself a nurse – she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2006. At the time of diagnosis she decided to blog about her breast cancer treatment experiences and her site now attracts many thousands of visitors each month. She wrote this to reassure anyone about to embark on the gruelling assault course that constitutes treatment with herceptin. Here’s how it went:
Herceptin Treatment is a fairly new treatment for breast cancer. It was originally licensed for women who had some form of breast cancer metastatic spread but a little over two years ago it was licensed to be used on women with early stage breast cancer. For me this was amazing timing as I had just had a mastectomy and it was discovered that the tumour I had was HER-2 positive. This is the only type of tumour suitable for herceptin treatment.
So, it was organised that after chemotherapy and radiotherapy I would have seventeen Herceptin treatments at three weekly intervals. To be honest after all the other treatments I was tired and weary. However, I was aware of how important this treatment was and decided to give it my all! And hey ... that’s pretty much what it required as things turned out!
Herceptin works by interfering in the way which breast cancer cells divide and grow. Some breast cancer cells divide and grow when a protein that naturally occurs in the body attaches itself to another protein known as HER2, and guess where HER2 isfound – that’s right, it’s on the surface of the breast cancer cells.
Herceptin blocks this bonding process by attaching itself to the HER2 protein so that the growth factor cannot reach the breast cancer cells. This stops the cancer cells from dividing and growing.
Herceptin only works in people who have high levels of the HER2 protein. It appears to have little effect in those who do not. Approximately one in five breast cancer patients are HER-2 positive.
The reasoning behind giving Herceptin over seventeen treatments is that the timescale from diagnosis to the end of Herceptin is approximately eighteen months and eighteen months is the most likely time for recurrence, or metastatic spread of the breast cancer to occur – clever don’t you think!
During my treatments – which I got at home- I felt tired but not the dreaded near death tiredness that chemotherapy had delivered, and the herceptin tiredness only lasted a few days.
That said there was a build up effect and nearing the end of it I did feel pretty ropey a lot of the time.
My biggest problem with Herceptin was cannulation of my arm veins. Having had Epirubicin as one of my chemotherapy drugs my veins in my left hand and arm were hard and near impossible to cannulate.
The nurses could only use my left arm as my lymph nodes had been removed on the other side during the mastectomy and no cannulation or injections were allowed on the right to try to prevent infection and lymphedema. The poor nurses! Me a quivering wreck and no veins to be seen. It did cause me a lot of stress but to their great credit they managed it every time.
I was quite lucky not to have experienced too many side effects during my treatment. I did experience diarrhoea but while unpleasant, it’s manageable. Forward planning about the location of toilets and Imodium in your handbag works wonders!
Flu like symptoms are also common following administration of herceptin.
One of the more serious herceptin side effects is a reduction in heart function. To monitor this it is normal to have an injection fraction scan every three months to determine if any damage has been done. These scans terrified me at first as I didn’t want anything to interrupting my treatments. As it turned out I needn’t have worried as my heart function actually improved on Herceptin! Trust me to be different.
People can also experience allergic reactions and this is the reason the first two treatments are usually given in hospital.
My message to anybody out there who is embarking on Herceptin treatment is it’s not as bad as chemo, it truly is life saving and it will be over before you know it!
Herceptin Treatment is a fairly new treatment for breast cancer. It was originally licensed for women who had some form of breast cancer metastatic spread but a little over two years ago it was licensed to be used on women with early stage breast cancer. For me this was amazing timing as I had just had a mastectomy and it was discovered that the tumour I had was HER-2 positive. This is the only type of tumour suitable for herceptin treatment.
So, it was organised that after chemotherapy and radiotherapy I would have seventeen Herceptin treatments at three weekly intervals. To be honest after all the other treatments I was tired and weary. However, I was aware of how important this treatment was and decided to give it my all! And hey ... that’s pretty much what it required as things turned out!
Herceptin works by interfering in the way which breast cancer cells divide and grow. Some breast cancer cells divide and grow when a protein that naturally occurs in the body attaches itself to another protein known as HER2, and guess where HER2 isfound – that’s right, it’s on the surface of the breast cancer cells.
Herceptin blocks this bonding process by attaching itself to the HER2 protein so that the growth factor cannot reach the breast cancer cells. This stops the cancer cells from dividing and growing.
Herceptin only works in people who have high levels of the HER2 protein. It appears to have little effect in those who do not. Approximately one in five breast cancer patients are HER-2 positive.
The reasoning behind giving Herceptin over seventeen treatments is that the timescale from diagnosis to the end of Herceptin is approximately eighteen months and eighteen months is the most likely time for recurrence, or metastatic spread of the breast cancer to occur – clever don’t you think!
During my treatments – which I got at home- I felt tired but not the dreaded near death tiredness that chemotherapy had delivered, and the herceptin tiredness only lasted a few days.
That said there was a build up effect and nearing the end of it I did feel pretty ropey a lot of the time.
My biggest problem with Herceptin was cannulation of my arm veins. Having had Epirubicin as one of my chemotherapy drugs my veins in my left hand and arm were hard and near impossible to cannulate.
The nurses could only use my left arm as my lymph nodes had been removed on the other side during the mastectomy and no cannulation or injections were allowed on the right to try to prevent infection and lymphedema. The poor nurses! Me a quivering wreck and no veins to be seen. It did cause me a lot of stress but to their great credit they managed it every time.
I was quite lucky not to have experienced too many side effects during my treatment. I did experience diarrhoea but while unpleasant, it’s manageable. Forward planning about the location of toilets and Imodium in your handbag works wonders!
Flu like symptoms are also common following administration of herceptin.
One of the more serious herceptin side effects is a reduction in heart function. To monitor this it is normal to have an injection fraction scan every three months to determine if any damage has been done. These scans terrified me at first as I didn’t want anything to interrupting my treatments. As it turned out I needn’t have worried as my heart function actually improved on Herceptin! Trust me to be different.
People can also experience allergic reactions and this is the reason the first two treatments are usually given in hospital.
My message to anybody out there who is embarking on Herceptin treatment is it’s not as bad as chemo, it truly is life saving and it will be over before you know it!
Soy Consumption Effects On Women
Numerous study show that soy consumption has evident benefits for our health and does help in some specific woman problems. Let’s see some of there studies them below.
Cancer-inhibitory effects of soy consumption on breast cancer.
Although numerous experimental studies have indicated that soy foods and their components have cancer-inhibitory effects on breast cancer, the association between adolescent soy food intake and breast cancer risk was not evaluated by any epidemiological study.
All study participants were interviewed to obtain specific information concerning their nutritional intake from ages 13–15 years. Adolescence is a period when breast tissue is most sensitive to environmental stimuli as it represents a stage when the mammary glands (breasts) are actually developing.
Soy food intake and breast cancer risk were measured using unconditional logistic models. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) deriving from the logistic models we used, show that the women in highest soy food intake group had an OR of 0.35 which means the lowest breast cancer risk due to soy food intake.
The conclusion is that high soy intake during teenage years may diminish the risk of breast cancer in a woman’s maturity years.
The study was realized by 5 research institutes in USA and one in China.
The "magic beans"?
I am not talking about "Jack and the Beanstalk" story although is still has its magic; the magic beans I refer to are the black soybeans. Their "magical powers" are to prevent diabetes, lower fat and cholesterol levels and control weight.
South Korean researchers fed all the rats (used in their research) a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet, while some of the rats got black soybeans as supplement.
Their discovery established that: rats that got black soybeans supplement (10 % black soybeans) gained only 50 % of the weight the other rats did. In addition, the rats that were given the black soybean supplement had 25% lower total blood cholesterol and 60% lower LDL (or bad cholesterol).
The researchers observed that soybeans changed the fat composition in a different way; this is the reason they believe that black soybeans might prevent obesity and the type 2 diabetes.
The low GI (glycaemic index) , high fiber and low fat are three characteristics of legumes that provide real benefits for our bodies as they allow and facilitate a normal intestinal transit(no more constipation problems),a better weight control (because of the low fat) and also help diabetics keep their blood glucose levels under control. Black soybeans are indeed a great substitute for starchy foods such as potatoes and white bread (in the limits of a healthy diet, of course).
Therefore, if you want to buy black soybeans, you can find canned ones in some Oriental food stores as well as in health food stores.
Cooling down hot flashes? How?
Once the menstruation period ends (it usually occurs from early forties to early sixties), the second adolescence begins; I am calling it "adolescence" because of the hormonal changes our bodies go trough. Due to this wave of hormones, some of us may have palpitations or may blush all of a sudden with no reason at all, also sometimes the whole body starts perspiring without any apparent cause. Still, not all women go trough such "Calvary". Some do not have them at all, or they experience them but very mildly manifested.
Mom "met" these hot flashes when she was 43. She says:" after my breast cancer operation, my menstruation was interrupted and I experienced sudden overheating; regardless of where I was or what I was doing, I felt this heat in my body-especially in my back- accompanied with perspiration; it lasted around 2 minutes and of course after unequal pauses it came back. "She is 52 now and she had them for approximately five years.
Millions of American women go trough hot flashes nowadays. Most of them (75%) get them in the months / years before and-or after menopause.
Here are the alternatives:
Exercise Regularly! That means around a half an hour of quick and energetic walk on most days of the week; this exercise will make hot flashes less intense.
Drink enough water! Even if you are not thirsty, you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day .When you feel hot fleshes coming, drink something cold, it will make you feel better.
Alternative effective supplements
Japanese women experience fewer, milder hot flashes than American women. Why is that? Because Japanese women’s diet is rich in soy food, their daily intake is around 50 to 100 milligrams isoflavones. For example, a cup of cooked green soybeans contains 100 milligrams isoflavones and a cup of tofu contains 50 mg.
Remifemin is another adjuvant, made of black cohosh; it is usually administrated twice a day.
The hormone therapy has the best effects on hot flashes yet, this therapy is not widely embraced because of the results that ascertained an increased risk of breast cancer or stroke.
We have seen the most important effects of soy consumption on our bodies and as women; it is good to know that there is something natural to help prevent some of our problems. Why cure when we can prevent?
Cancer-inhibitory effects of soy consumption on breast cancer.
Although numerous experimental studies have indicated that soy foods and their components have cancer-inhibitory effects on breast cancer, the association between adolescent soy food intake and breast cancer risk was not evaluated by any epidemiological study.
All study participants were interviewed to obtain specific information concerning their nutritional intake from ages 13–15 years. Adolescence is a period when breast tissue is most sensitive to environmental stimuli as it represents a stage when the mammary glands (breasts) are actually developing.
Soy food intake and breast cancer risk were measured using unconditional logistic models. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) deriving from the logistic models we used, show that the women in highest soy food intake group had an OR of 0.35 which means the lowest breast cancer risk due to soy food intake.
The conclusion is that high soy intake during teenage years may diminish the risk of breast cancer in a woman’s maturity years.
The study was realized by 5 research institutes in USA and one in China.
The "magic beans"?
I am not talking about "Jack and the Beanstalk" story although is still has its magic; the magic beans I refer to are the black soybeans. Their "magical powers" are to prevent diabetes, lower fat and cholesterol levels and control weight.
South Korean researchers fed all the rats (used in their research) a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet, while some of the rats got black soybeans as supplement.
Their discovery established that: rats that got black soybeans supplement (10 % black soybeans) gained only 50 % of the weight the other rats did. In addition, the rats that were given the black soybean supplement had 25% lower total blood cholesterol and 60% lower LDL (or bad cholesterol).
The researchers observed that soybeans changed the fat composition in a different way; this is the reason they believe that black soybeans might prevent obesity and the type 2 diabetes.
The low GI (glycaemic index) , high fiber and low fat are three characteristics of legumes that provide real benefits for our bodies as they allow and facilitate a normal intestinal transit(no more constipation problems),a better weight control (because of the low fat) and also help diabetics keep their blood glucose levels under control. Black soybeans are indeed a great substitute for starchy foods such as potatoes and white bread (in the limits of a healthy diet, of course).
Therefore, if you want to buy black soybeans, you can find canned ones in some Oriental food stores as well as in health food stores.
Cooling down hot flashes? How?
Once the menstruation period ends (it usually occurs from early forties to early sixties), the second adolescence begins; I am calling it "adolescence" because of the hormonal changes our bodies go trough. Due to this wave of hormones, some of us may have palpitations or may blush all of a sudden with no reason at all, also sometimes the whole body starts perspiring without any apparent cause. Still, not all women go trough such "Calvary". Some do not have them at all, or they experience them but very mildly manifested.
Mom "met" these hot flashes when she was 43. She says:" after my breast cancer operation, my menstruation was interrupted and I experienced sudden overheating; regardless of where I was or what I was doing, I felt this heat in my body-especially in my back- accompanied with perspiration; it lasted around 2 minutes and of course after unequal pauses it came back. "She is 52 now and she had them for approximately five years.
Millions of American women go trough hot flashes nowadays. Most of them (75%) get them in the months / years before and-or after menopause.
Here are the alternatives:
Exercise Regularly! That means around a half an hour of quick and energetic walk on most days of the week; this exercise will make hot flashes less intense.
Drink enough water! Even if you are not thirsty, you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day .When you feel hot fleshes coming, drink something cold, it will make you feel better.
Alternative effective supplements
Japanese women experience fewer, milder hot flashes than American women. Why is that? Because Japanese women’s diet is rich in soy food, their daily intake is around 50 to 100 milligrams isoflavones. For example, a cup of cooked green soybeans contains 100 milligrams isoflavones and a cup of tofu contains 50 mg.
Remifemin is another adjuvant, made of black cohosh; it is usually administrated twice a day.
The hormone therapy has the best effects on hot flashes yet, this therapy is not widely embraced because of the results that ascertained an increased risk of breast cancer or stroke.
We have seen the most important effects of soy consumption on our bodies and as women; it is good to know that there is something natural to help prevent some of our problems. Why cure when we can prevent?
Pink Ribbon - Breast Cancer Ribbon
In these times when we require a sort of symbolism for each and every thing that concerns us, the pink ribbon is the most accurate symbol that could be ever made for the extremely sensitive issue of breast cancer in women. Come October, and we see the pink ribbons in their full bloom, proudly adorning the chests of people from all walks of society, and sending out the message about the viciousness of breast cancer and that it is time women took that mammogram test just to make sure. And, to the little pink ribbon's credit, it has become a very significant contributory force in the treatment of breast cancer. This little single loop of pink has done much more to create the consciousness about the second most deadly form of human cancer than any amount of words could ever achieve.
Know Your Pink Ribbon Day
The breast cancer ribbon is worn in the month of October, which is the international month of breast cancer awareness. In the US, the fourth Monday of October has been designated as the Pink Ribbon Day. This is the day when the breast cancer pink ribbon is very prominently worn and is complemented with a lot of other activities that are aimed at breast cancer awareness. On this day, there are several educational programs and a sale of a whole lot of materials – the awareness ribbon included – mostly in a bid for fundraising for several breast cancer awareness endeavors. Along with the breast cancer awareness fundraising and educational programs, there are also sports events, such as marathons and walkathons in which the general public is invited to participate.
Wear Your Pink Ribbon With Pride
The pink ribbon is more than just a cloth ribbon – it is an awareness ribbon. By wearing this ribbon, people are sending out an important message. And that message is – Breast cancer is a killer, but it can be nipped in the bud. So be aware of the devil and fight it as soon as it raises its head.
That is the reason why you must never feel shy of wearing the cancer awareness ribbon, and sending the message across. Guys need not feel wearing a pink accessory will lower their manliness in any manner. On the contrary, you will come across as a sensitive person, who cares for an important social issue and is willing to participate in the fight against it. Celebrities are wearing breast cancer pink ribbons, sportspeople are wearing them, politicians are wearing them, and now it is high time every person in the street wore them.
The purpose of the pink ribbon is to remind women of the potential dangers of breast cancers and make them take preliminary precautions. It reminds them of the need of a self checkup, and take the requisite measures before it is too late. Just think, even if only one woman saw your breast cancer ribbon, was reminded of the need to take a breast cancer test, was diagnosed, and that actually went a long way in her getting the treatment. This one life you save through a simple act such as wearing the breast cancer ribbon could give you the biggest accolade there ever was. And you must think of the countless women who see your pink ribbon when you wear them, and most probably, that might be reminding them to save their own lives.
Get Your Pink Ribbon Day Products
The Pink Ribbon Day is a day of creating awareness about breast cancer in people across the world. The intention is to let people know that such an affliction exists and to take steps at the right time to prevent the problems from aggravating. And towards this end, a lot of symbolic selling goes on.
The cancer awareness ribbon, i.e. the pink ribbon, is not the only thing sold on The Pink Ribbon Day. Several manufacturers come out with a whole range of products that carry the pink ribbon motif. Chief among them are t-shirts carrying pink ribbon designs, frig magnets, pendants and lockets shaped in the form of a pink ribbon, armbands and headbands, pens and several other such pieces of memorabilia. The sale of these products begins from the month of September itself and culminates on The Pink Ribbon Day. Manufacturers promise that a portion of the sales goes towards various breast cancer awareness programs. Hence, the selling of the pink ribbon merchandise becomes an important step towards fundraising towards breast cancer research and treatment.
Products can be ordered through the Internet, and several card shops and gift shops also stock their own merchandise. As The Pink Ribbon Day approaches nearer, you might also find sellers out on the roads itself, and several kiosks vending out pink ribbon memorabilia. Getting your pink ribbon products from them means that you are intent in spreading the message of breast cancer awareness, and also helping in a very small way to fund their research.
Know Your Pink Ribbon Day
The breast cancer ribbon is worn in the month of October, which is the international month of breast cancer awareness. In the US, the fourth Monday of October has been designated as the Pink Ribbon Day. This is the day when the breast cancer pink ribbon is very prominently worn and is complemented with a lot of other activities that are aimed at breast cancer awareness. On this day, there are several educational programs and a sale of a whole lot of materials – the awareness ribbon included – mostly in a bid for fundraising for several breast cancer awareness endeavors. Along with the breast cancer awareness fundraising and educational programs, there are also sports events, such as marathons and walkathons in which the general public is invited to participate.
Wear Your Pink Ribbon With Pride
The pink ribbon is more than just a cloth ribbon – it is an awareness ribbon. By wearing this ribbon, people are sending out an important message. And that message is – Breast cancer is a killer, but it can be nipped in the bud. So be aware of the devil and fight it as soon as it raises its head.
That is the reason why you must never feel shy of wearing the cancer awareness ribbon, and sending the message across. Guys need not feel wearing a pink accessory will lower their manliness in any manner. On the contrary, you will come across as a sensitive person, who cares for an important social issue and is willing to participate in the fight against it. Celebrities are wearing breast cancer pink ribbons, sportspeople are wearing them, politicians are wearing them, and now it is high time every person in the street wore them.
The purpose of the pink ribbon is to remind women of the potential dangers of breast cancers and make them take preliminary precautions. It reminds them of the need of a self checkup, and take the requisite measures before it is too late. Just think, even if only one woman saw your breast cancer ribbon, was reminded of the need to take a breast cancer test, was diagnosed, and that actually went a long way in her getting the treatment. This one life you save through a simple act such as wearing the breast cancer ribbon could give you the biggest accolade there ever was. And you must think of the countless women who see your pink ribbon when you wear them, and most probably, that might be reminding them to save their own lives.
Get Your Pink Ribbon Day Products
The Pink Ribbon Day is a day of creating awareness about breast cancer in people across the world. The intention is to let people know that such an affliction exists and to take steps at the right time to prevent the problems from aggravating. And towards this end, a lot of symbolic selling goes on.
The cancer awareness ribbon, i.e. the pink ribbon, is not the only thing sold on The Pink Ribbon Day. Several manufacturers come out with a whole range of products that carry the pink ribbon motif. Chief among them are t-shirts carrying pink ribbon designs, frig magnets, pendants and lockets shaped in the form of a pink ribbon, armbands and headbands, pens and several other such pieces of memorabilia. The sale of these products begins from the month of September itself and culminates on The Pink Ribbon Day. Manufacturers promise that a portion of the sales goes towards various breast cancer awareness programs. Hence, the selling of the pink ribbon merchandise becomes an important step towards fundraising towards breast cancer research and treatment.
Products can be ordered through the Internet, and several card shops and gift shops also stock their own merchandise. As The Pink Ribbon Day approaches nearer, you might also find sellers out on the roads itself, and several kiosks vending out pink ribbon memorabilia. Getting your pink ribbon products from them means that you are intent in spreading the message of breast cancer awareness, and also helping in a very small way to fund their research.
My Survival Dream of Faith & Donation
Getting married is a dream many women strive for, fight for, and live for. My dream came true July 18th, 2009, however this dream here, I strive for, I fought for, and today I am living it to the fullest.
On May 17th, 2007 the dream of me ever getting married to anyone felt shattered and very far away from becoming true. At the age of 31, I was diagnosed with "Breast Cancer." It was a day I will always remember and will never forget for the rest of my life. It was a day of shock, of worries, of fear, of confusion, and even loneliness. However, there was one thing that I did not fear through all this. It was my religious belief. After having the news delivered to me, I turned to our father god and I prayed, I prayed, and I prayed. I asked him to help me survive this; help me overcome this obstacle with faith, with strength, with belief, and with survival. I prayed loudly because I wanted (God) to hear my pain and my plead of life because I knew deep inside I had more years not only to live, but to be grateful for as well.
Four weeks later, my surgery was scheduled and I lived through it and survived it. After the surgery my body went through a dramatic change. My body of course was not the same. Mentally this type of change/surgery can be very dramatic to anyone. In this day and age we are lucky to have the surgeons we have because through the dramatic change, there is reconstruction. I feel very grateful for that, however, even through the reconstruction, at the end of the day, it is still a big change for anyone.
After the surgery, there were moments I would find myself in deep thoughts and I used to ask myself, will I ever find anyone to love me now after all this? My body has just gone through a change and even though it will get repaired and look brand new again, it will never be the same. There was only one person that knew the answer of me finding a man that will love me unconditionally, and it was God. He had a beautiful plan for me which including me meeting the man that I married on July 18th, 2009.
Just when I thought I was ready to have the reconstruction process begin, doctors found a tumor on my other breast. As scared I was, I did not allow fear to take over me. I said to myself, I already went through this; I will make it again, again, and again.
After my second diagnose and surgery, I met my husband a few months after at our work place. While I was getting to know him, he had sat me down one day and told me his mother had died of cancer about 8 months before I met him. Now mind you, I had not been honest with him about what I had been going through, and after he told me about his mother, telling him my story brought fear inside me. I thought by telling him what I had been through, he would change his mind of getting to know me and possibly developing a relationship. Well, I was wrong, because once I told him my experience, he looked at me and said 'Thank you for telling me. I will always be here for you whenever you need me, I am not going anywhere.
Since that day, we developed a strong relationship and on August 27, 2008 after my last treatment, he proposed to me. I went through my treatments with him and my sisters by my side. I believe god never left my side. He gave me a second chance at life with wonderful opportunities and blessings.
So here I am sharing my survival story. Being diagnose with cancer and surviving it is a true blessing. Today because I feel that I was given another chance at life, and I was able to find true love after my survival of cancer. I am offering and donating my wedding gown to any bride to be who has survived cancer, or is in need of a beautiful wedding gown. With my wedding gown, a jewelry store has offered to donate a pair of earrings and a necklace to go with the wedding gown. Again I turned to you (bride to be) because I am paying forward my survival story and my faith which I acknowledge as a true blessing from God.
My wedding gown to me means faith, survival, and a belief that happiness can only come to those who believe in surviving all life experiences.
On May 17th, 2007 the dream of me ever getting married to anyone felt shattered and very far away from becoming true. At the age of 31, I was diagnosed with "Breast Cancer." It was a day I will always remember and will never forget for the rest of my life. It was a day of shock, of worries, of fear, of confusion, and even loneliness. However, there was one thing that I did not fear through all this. It was my religious belief. After having the news delivered to me, I turned to our father god and I prayed, I prayed, and I prayed. I asked him to help me survive this; help me overcome this obstacle with faith, with strength, with belief, and with survival. I prayed loudly because I wanted (God) to hear my pain and my plead of life because I knew deep inside I had more years not only to live, but to be grateful for as well.
Four weeks later, my surgery was scheduled and I lived through it and survived it. After the surgery my body went through a dramatic change. My body of course was not the same. Mentally this type of change/surgery can be very dramatic to anyone. In this day and age we are lucky to have the surgeons we have because through the dramatic change, there is reconstruction. I feel very grateful for that, however, even through the reconstruction, at the end of the day, it is still a big change for anyone.
After the surgery, there were moments I would find myself in deep thoughts and I used to ask myself, will I ever find anyone to love me now after all this? My body has just gone through a change and even though it will get repaired and look brand new again, it will never be the same. There was only one person that knew the answer of me finding a man that will love me unconditionally, and it was God. He had a beautiful plan for me which including me meeting the man that I married on July 18th, 2009.
Just when I thought I was ready to have the reconstruction process begin, doctors found a tumor on my other breast. As scared I was, I did not allow fear to take over me. I said to myself, I already went through this; I will make it again, again, and again.
After my second diagnose and surgery, I met my husband a few months after at our work place. While I was getting to know him, he had sat me down one day and told me his mother had died of cancer about 8 months before I met him. Now mind you, I had not been honest with him about what I had been going through, and after he told me about his mother, telling him my story brought fear inside me. I thought by telling him what I had been through, he would change his mind of getting to know me and possibly developing a relationship. Well, I was wrong, because once I told him my experience, he looked at me and said 'Thank you for telling me. I will always be here for you whenever you need me, I am not going anywhere.
Since that day, we developed a strong relationship and on August 27, 2008 after my last treatment, he proposed to me. I went through my treatments with him and my sisters by my side. I believe god never left my side. He gave me a second chance at life with wonderful opportunities and blessings.
So here I am sharing my survival story. Being diagnose with cancer and surviving it is a true blessing. Today because I feel that I was given another chance at life, and I was able to find true love after my survival of cancer. I am offering and donating my wedding gown to any bride to be who has survived cancer, or is in need of a beautiful wedding gown. With my wedding gown, a jewelry store has offered to donate a pair of earrings and a necklace to go with the wedding gown. Again I turned to you (bride to be) because I am paying forward my survival story and my faith which I acknowledge as a true blessing from God.
My wedding gown to me means faith, survival, and a belief that happiness can only come to those who believe in surviving all life experiences.
Multivitamins and Breast Cancer
Many individuals take multivitamins in order to thwart diseases related to deficiency and other serious disorders. A daily dose of multivitamins is good for health as it ensures that the body obtains the essential nutrients that it does not gain from food. A single pill everyday is said to improve the overall health and prevent heart diseases and sometimes even cancer. There are many multivitamins for women that can fulfill the recommended dietary allowance of nutrients in women. However, a recent observational study that was conducted revealed that multivitamins increased the risk of breast cancer, especially in women who were in their post menopausal stage. But the research does not have any proof that multivitamins may be directly linked to breast cancer. Let's take a look at the relationship between multivitamins and breast cancer and whether it is substantial.
Multivitamins and Breast Cancer Risk
Breast cancer is the second most occurring cancer that is diagnosed in women all around the world. Women tend to take multivitamins specially after menopause in order to supplement the dip in nutrients in their body. Though these multivitamins maintain a balance of nutrients, some of the ingredients in these pills may be linked to breast cancer. While conducting breast cancer research, studies have shown that women who are above the age of 40 and who are taking multivitamin supplements are more prone to cancer as compared to other women of the same age group. This research has been going on for a decade and approximately 35,000 women have been reviewed. The factors like age, weight, family history of breast cancer and other habits like drinking and smoking were taken into consideration, during the research period. The diet, multivitamin supplement intake and exercise regimen of these women were also monitored. After some years, the women aged between 45 and 85 years, who took these supplements on a regular basis were reportedly suffering from different stages of breast cancer. These women were 20 percent more susceptible to breast cancer than the women who never used multivitamins.
Though the research could not prove the relationship between multivitamins and breast cancer, it has shown a slight possibility of getting cancer, if there is an overuse of multivitamins. Researchers have also found biologically plausible reasons that can associate increased risk of getting breast cancer with the use of multivitamins. There are certain ingredients in these supplements that can trigger the growth of cancerous cells in the body. Folic acid, which is the main component of many multivitamin supplements, tends to increase the density of tissues in the breasts, which can stimulate the growth of cancer. Iron and zinc are also known to increase the risk of this life threatening disease. However, this reason is still debatable. The research also showed that vitamins B6, C and E did not alter the body conditions. Calcium also did not have any link to this cancer and in fact, it acts as shield to protect the body from the attack of cancerous cells.
Preventing Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one such disease that can be life threatening, if not detected in time. In order to prevent this disease, maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a balanced diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables and avoiding smoking and alcohol is essential. Following a proper exercise regimen will be helpful to cut the extra flab in the body. In case, you need to take any nutritional supplements, consult a health care practitioner who will guide you correctly on what extra supplements are needed by your body.
A healthy and varied diet can reduce the need for taking multivitamins in any form, and hence reduce the risk of breast cancer. Hope you found this article on multivitamins and breast cancer informative and useful.
Multivitamins and Breast Cancer Risk
Breast cancer is the second most occurring cancer that is diagnosed in women all around the world. Women tend to take multivitamins specially after menopause in order to supplement the dip in nutrients in their body. Though these multivitamins maintain a balance of nutrients, some of the ingredients in these pills may be linked to breast cancer. While conducting breast cancer research, studies have shown that women who are above the age of 40 and who are taking multivitamin supplements are more prone to cancer as compared to other women of the same age group. This research has been going on for a decade and approximately 35,000 women have been reviewed. The factors like age, weight, family history of breast cancer and other habits like drinking and smoking were taken into consideration, during the research period. The diet, multivitamin supplement intake and exercise regimen of these women were also monitored. After some years, the women aged between 45 and 85 years, who took these supplements on a regular basis were reportedly suffering from different stages of breast cancer. These women were 20 percent more susceptible to breast cancer than the women who never used multivitamins.
Though the research could not prove the relationship between multivitamins and breast cancer, it has shown a slight possibility of getting cancer, if there is an overuse of multivitamins. Researchers have also found biologically plausible reasons that can associate increased risk of getting breast cancer with the use of multivitamins. There are certain ingredients in these supplements that can trigger the growth of cancerous cells in the body. Folic acid, which is the main component of many multivitamin supplements, tends to increase the density of tissues in the breasts, which can stimulate the growth of cancer. Iron and zinc are also known to increase the risk of this life threatening disease. However, this reason is still debatable. The research also showed that vitamins B6, C and E did not alter the body conditions. Calcium also did not have any link to this cancer and in fact, it acts as shield to protect the body from the attack of cancerous cells.
Preventing Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one such disease that can be life threatening, if not detected in time. In order to prevent this disease, maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a balanced diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables and avoiding smoking and alcohol is essential. Following a proper exercise regimen will be helpful to cut the extra flab in the body. In case, you need to take any nutritional supplements, consult a health care practitioner who will guide you correctly on what extra supplements are needed by your body.
A healthy and varied diet can reduce the need for taking multivitamins in any form, and hence reduce the risk of breast cancer. Hope you found this article on multivitamins and breast cancer informative and useful.
Miley Cyrus to Perform NYE Concert in High School Gymnasium
During the summer, MTV promoted a contest whose winner would get a Miley Cyrus-headlined concert for New Year's Eve. The winner of the contest is Alison Kaprielian, a senior at Beckman who has worked tirelessly in support of the Pink Ribbon Club, which is an organization dedicated to breast cancer awareness.
And while the concert will be open to those outside of the student body of Beckman, it is required that all attendees - even the boys - wear pink in honor of the Pink Ribbon Club.
In addition to the live concert, members of the Beckman dance team will be on stage to perform with Miley and some of the other acts that will be working the show. MTV awarded several free tickets to those described as "true fans of Miley Cyrus" through its various broadcast and media channels.
The show will be broadcast on MTV beginning at 8PM tonight. Without a doubt, this will be the best New Year's Eve of many young lifetimes and certainly a feel-good story for fans of Miley Cyrus to follow and hang on to. And while this is ultimately a commercial venture for all involved, you have to give credit to MTV for coming up with this kind of promotion. Not only will the concert be an amazing event for all in attendance, but the national broadcast will bring even more attention to the Pink Ribbon Club and increase awareness of breast cancer.
And while the concert will be open to those outside of the student body of Beckman, it is required that all attendees - even the boys - wear pink in honor of the Pink Ribbon Club.
In addition to the live concert, members of the Beckman dance team will be on stage to perform with Miley and some of the other acts that will be working the show. MTV awarded several free tickets to those described as "true fans of Miley Cyrus" through its various broadcast and media channels.
The show will be broadcast on MTV beginning at 8PM tonight. Without a doubt, this will be the best New Year's Eve of many young lifetimes and certainly a feel-good story for fans of Miley Cyrus to follow and hang on to. And while this is ultimately a commercial venture for all involved, you have to give credit to MTV for coming up with this kind of promotion. Not only will the concert be an amazing event for all in attendance, but the national broadcast will bring even more attention to the Pink Ribbon Club and increase awareness of breast cancer.
Mammogram Overkill
I have to wonder just how many women get unnecessary mammograms? I've had some scares already in my 49 short years and frankly am somewhat hesitant about believing that the high technology today is so wonderful!
Early last week I dutifully got my annual mammogram although it was about a month past due. Hey, I don't like going 3 days before Christmas, just in case it is bad news! It went surprisingly quick and without a lot of wait in the waiting room. I noticed an improvement there as well. They removed that huge poster about Women and Heart Disease displaying horrible statistics. I remember thinking last year how ironic it was. So we women, waiting to hear the outcome of our diagnostic X-rays could figure if the cancer doesn't kill us, heart disease will.
Last Thursday, two days later I got a phone call about coming back in. I had pretty much forgotten about it and was a bit surprised by the call. I was told they wanted to get another mammogram of my left breast. I asked why as my right one was the one previously diagnosed with micro calcifications after which having a botched up
needle biopsy, appear to not be an issue any longer. The reason given to me was that there was a shadow seen on the left one and that it may just have been the way it was taken (such as overlapping tissue or some such thing), but they wanted to be sure.
My heart started pounding and I was thinking "Oh no, I may have cancer". It doesn't matter how lightly the pleasant lady on the phone put it, I was being called BACK and that couldn't be a good thing. I was told that they would take a core mammogram of my left breast and also set up an appointment for an ultrasound
in case they determined that I needed to have that done right away after that. No matter how much I tried to reassure myself nothing was there because for the umpteenth time I didn't feel any kind of lump or anything unusual, the fear was right there not very far from my thoughts for the next week.
When I arrived today I was told they were going to take a bilateralof each breast and then two of the left again. I challenged the technician because I was told I would only need the left one done. I have learned to not just trust anyone wearing a white (or pink for that matter) lab coat. Why should I subject myself to more
radiation and a higher medical bill that was surely going to be given to me - mistake or not? Turns out I was right and just the left breast was doomed to being painfully squished and flattened this time around.
Luckily I didn't have to wait very long for the results when the technician called me back in. She told me that my left upper breast was more dense than the right one when I had my mammogram, which I am guessing was a more dense shadow and so they wanted to take a closer look at the left one. When they did, there was nothing suspicious there. My thinking is the density got thinned out from the xray machine grabbing just that section and smashing it as thin as possible and nothing suspicious was found. I didn't need an ultrasound and could call the nurse later if I wanted to have the official report (but she had heard the radiologist reading the films and that is what he said).
Later I decided to call and got a nurse who although was extremely nice, was skirting my question. She was explaining how if they had seen something I would have needed an ultrasound to explore it further, but they did not need one. I guess she was waiting for me to say "Well that's great news, thanks" and hang up. But I wanted to know more than that. I asked if my left breast then showed that it was more dense than the one they took a year ago? She couldn't really answer me. She just said the left had more density than the right
and so again I asked "So it was more dense that last year's mammogram?". Her response was "It must have been".
Well that is baloney. I have no solid proof that the radiologist first compared this year's mammogram to the ones done a year ago (as a diagnostic mammogram no less). For all I know just this year's were viewed and since the left didn't match the right one in density, another one was ordered.
Don't get me wrong. I am completely ecstatic that I don't have breast cancer! But I would have been happier getting a form letter that nothing was found. Just how many other women go through needless second mammograms on a daily basis. I'm sure some of those turn out to be actual findings that do need to be diagnosed and treated. But for every one that truly have something for the poor woman being clamped down by the x-ray machine to worry about, how many more are called back for follow up mammograms that really aren't necessary.
But who cares right? Better to be safe than sorry, right? While that is certainly true, it still causes me to ponder how many other women are needlessly subjected to the added gray hair, stress, anxiety, radiation exposure and medical fees when they already have enough to worry about with caring for their family, home, work and
who knows what else is on their plate! At least I can happily say I don't have to deal with all this again for another year.
Early last week I dutifully got my annual mammogram although it was about a month past due. Hey, I don't like going 3 days before Christmas, just in case it is bad news! It went surprisingly quick and without a lot of wait in the waiting room. I noticed an improvement there as well. They removed that huge poster about Women and Heart Disease displaying horrible statistics. I remember thinking last year how ironic it was. So we women, waiting to hear the outcome of our diagnostic X-rays could figure if the cancer doesn't kill us, heart disease will.
Last Thursday, two days later I got a phone call about coming back in. I had pretty much forgotten about it and was a bit surprised by the call. I was told they wanted to get another mammogram of my left breast. I asked why as my right one was the one previously diagnosed with micro calcifications after which having a botched up
needle biopsy, appear to not be an issue any longer. The reason given to me was that there was a shadow seen on the left one and that it may just have been the way it was taken (such as overlapping tissue or some such thing), but they wanted to be sure.
My heart started pounding and I was thinking "Oh no, I may have cancer". It doesn't matter how lightly the pleasant lady on the phone put it, I was being called BACK and that couldn't be a good thing. I was told that they would take a core mammogram of my left breast and also set up an appointment for an ultrasound
in case they determined that I needed to have that done right away after that. No matter how much I tried to reassure myself nothing was there because for the umpteenth time I didn't feel any kind of lump or anything unusual, the fear was right there not very far from my thoughts for the next week.
When I arrived today I was told they were going to take a bilateralof each breast and then two of the left again. I challenged the technician because I was told I would only need the left one done. I have learned to not just trust anyone wearing a white (or pink for that matter) lab coat. Why should I subject myself to more
radiation and a higher medical bill that was surely going to be given to me - mistake or not? Turns out I was right and just the left breast was doomed to being painfully squished and flattened this time around.
Luckily I didn't have to wait very long for the results when the technician called me back in. She told me that my left upper breast was more dense than the right one when I had my mammogram, which I am guessing was a more dense shadow and so they wanted to take a closer look at the left one. When they did, there was nothing suspicious there. My thinking is the density got thinned out from the xray machine grabbing just that section and smashing it as thin as possible and nothing suspicious was found. I didn't need an ultrasound and could call the nurse later if I wanted to have the official report (but she had heard the radiologist reading the films and that is what he said).
Later I decided to call and got a nurse who although was extremely nice, was skirting my question. She was explaining how if they had seen something I would have needed an ultrasound to explore it further, but they did not need one. I guess she was waiting for me to say "Well that's great news, thanks" and hang up. But I wanted to know more than that. I asked if my left breast then showed that it was more dense than the one they took a year ago? She couldn't really answer me. She just said the left had more density than the right
and so again I asked "So it was more dense that last year's mammogram?". Her response was "It must have been".
Well that is baloney. I have no solid proof that the radiologist first compared this year's mammogram to the ones done a year ago (as a diagnostic mammogram no less). For all I know just this year's were viewed and since the left didn't match the right one in density, another one was ordered.
Don't get me wrong. I am completely ecstatic that I don't have breast cancer! But I would have been happier getting a form letter that nothing was found. Just how many other women go through needless second mammograms on a daily basis. I'm sure some of those turn out to be actual findings that do need to be diagnosed and treated. But for every one that truly have something for the poor woman being clamped down by the x-ray machine to worry about, how many more are called back for follow up mammograms that really aren't necessary.
But who cares right? Better to be safe than sorry, right? While that is certainly true, it still causes me to ponder how many other women are needlessly subjected to the added gray hair, stress, anxiety, radiation exposure and medical fees when they already have enough to worry about with caring for their family, home, work and
who knows what else is on their plate! At least I can happily say I don't have to deal with all this again for another year.
Keeping Women's Health in Check
If a woman ever experienced unusually painful menstruation or noticed lumps in their breasts and vaginal discharge similar to cottage cheese, there is a great possibility she's in trouble. Any sensible woman should immediately set an appointment and see her trusted gynecologist. Women's health is often a subject taken for granted. Most women wait until they are rushed to the hospital before they do something about their condition. Experts in women's health advise ladies to be 'listen' and 'understand' their bodies. Even a seemingly trivial symptom should not be ignored as it may be a telltale sign of deadly breast cancer or a form of sexually transmitted disease.
Women can actually detect early stages of cancer through simple do-it-yourself breast assessment. Two or three days after every menstruation period, a woman should gently check her breasts for possible lumps or change in color and texture. Gynecologists say cancerous lump is usually a firm and solitary mass that just stays in a particular spot. If a lump changes position, there's a big possibility that it is non-malignant. Aside from lumps, a woman should also watch out for the disturbing presence of veins, breast discharges which are watery or mucus-like, and nipples that are inverted. According to women's health advocates, those who have a breast cancer history in their families are more prone to acquire the illness. But even if a woman doesn't have breast cancer history, it wouldn't hurt if she regularly examine her breasts for safety measure.
Apart from breast cancer, another illness concerning women's health is sexually transmitted disease. STD can manifest in the form of chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes, and gonorrhea. Even if a lady is not sexually active and doesn't engage in extra-marital sexual affairs, she can still obtain STD from her philandering husband or boyfriend. General symptoms of STD include thick and smelly vaginal discharge, bumps or rashes, and burning sensation in the feminine area. A woman infected with STD can also experience pain when having sexual intercourse and irregular bleeding in between menstrual cycles. Medication varies from one STD kind to another (and also depending on the severity of the case). For prevention, experts advise women to use condom which is not only a form of contraceptive but also serve as protection against STD. Husbands, on the other hand, should avoid womanizing and extra-marital sexual intercourses as much as possible. The fight against STD should be a concerted effort between husband and wife. In the case of STD, husbands are also involved in the issue of women's health.
Women can actually detect early stages of cancer through simple do-it-yourself breast assessment. Two or three days after every menstruation period, a woman should gently check her breasts for possible lumps or change in color and texture. Gynecologists say cancerous lump is usually a firm and solitary mass that just stays in a particular spot. If a lump changes position, there's a big possibility that it is non-malignant. Aside from lumps, a woman should also watch out for the disturbing presence of veins, breast discharges which are watery or mucus-like, and nipples that are inverted. According to women's health advocates, those who have a breast cancer history in their families are more prone to acquire the illness. But even if a woman doesn't have breast cancer history, it wouldn't hurt if she regularly examine her breasts for safety measure.
Apart from breast cancer, another illness concerning women's health is sexually transmitted disease. STD can manifest in the form of chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes, and gonorrhea. Even if a lady is not sexually active and doesn't engage in extra-marital sexual affairs, she can still obtain STD from her philandering husband or boyfriend. General symptoms of STD include thick and smelly vaginal discharge, bumps or rashes, and burning sensation in the feminine area. A woman infected with STD can also experience pain when having sexual intercourse and irregular bleeding in between menstrual cycles. Medication varies from one STD kind to another (and also depending on the severity of the case). For prevention, experts advise women to use condom which is not only a form of contraceptive but also serve as protection against STD. Husbands, on the other hand, should avoid womanizing and extra-marital sexual intercourses as much as possible. The fight against STD should be a concerted effort between husband and wife. In the case of STD, husbands are also involved in the issue of women's health.
HRT, Breast Cancer, And Bioidentical Hormones
The symptoms of menopause are akin to labor pains in that they feel like they will go on forever, yet they herald the birth of new life. In fact, whilst perimenopause lasts a lot longer - from 5 to 10, or up to 13 years, it is not an indicator of how 'life will be'. Menopause is a time of growth and adaptation, and our bodies are an intimate part of the journey. The symptoms associated with menopause intimately reflect the flux of the body's hormonal systems.
Menopause can be extremely disruptive, however. Whether it's sleeplessness, menopause related depression, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, or emotional swings, the good news is that these symptoms can be alleviated. A good menopause treatment will help many seemingly diverse symptoms, as they are all related to the root hormonal flux in the body.
HRT is one choice, popular with doctors, and one that many women have found extremely useful. But what is often not understood, is that there are different types of hormone replacement therapy, even amongst those prescribed by doctors.
Premarin is one of the best well know, and oldest, types of hormone treatment. Premarin is made from the urine of pregnant horses, and is an estrogen only hormonal pill. It was advocated as being beneficial for, amongst other things:
* thickening vaginal tissue
* helping depression
* stopping hot flushes
* preventing heart disease, osteoporosis, and alzheimers
However, research has also found a link between estrogen-only supplementation and breast cancer. The cells in the breasts and the uterus are responsive to estrogen. So to add estrogen in, without the checks and balances intrinsic to our normal hormonal system, can stimulate the growth of this tissue.
What many believed was a mitigating factor in premarin's favor was the belief that it helped prevent heart disease. This presumption was based on the fact that premarin lowered LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol had earlier been identified as a risk in developing heart disease. However, this belief has been found to be unsupported in several large clinical trials. In one involving women who had heart disease, those taking premarin (in combination with a synthetic form of progesterone which was given with premarin to prevent endometrial cancer), these women actually significantly increased their risk of having another heart attack in the first year of use. This risk leveled off after that, but it didn't provide any heart protective effects. In a study with healthy women, hormone replacement with premarin, with or without a synthetic progesterone supplement, did not decrease the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
Another drawback to premarin and other hormone replacement therapies is the way they are often prescribed, in a kind of 'one size fits all' way, irrespective of a woman's size or medical history.
But the news is not all bad with HRT therapies. When premarin was developed, there was not the ability amongst scientists to produce other types of estrogen. Because the estrogen in horses is not natural in women, side effects like bloating, headaches, and sore breasts are common. And because the breakdown products of estrogen from horses are so strong, actually more active in the body than the original horse estrogen, they have a pronounced effect on estrogen sensitive tissues, such as the breast. And given that numerous studies have shown that these metabolic by-products can produce changes in the DNA of cells that are carcinogenic to living tissue, it is no surprise that the incidence of breast cancer increases when women take premarin.
But there are alternatives. Bioidentical hormones are developed from soy beans or yams, and their chemical structure is designed to reflect that which is found in women's bodies. Further, bioidentical hormones are not usually given in a standardized, 'one size fits all' dose, but tailored to a woman's presenting history. They are generally given at low doses, and because chemically they behave more like regular estrogen, they are not associated with the side effects of premarin, although they have not been used in the large scale studies that premarin has.
Menopause can be extremely disruptive, however. Whether it's sleeplessness, menopause related depression, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, or emotional swings, the good news is that these symptoms can be alleviated. A good menopause treatment will help many seemingly diverse symptoms, as they are all related to the root hormonal flux in the body.
HRT is one choice, popular with doctors, and one that many women have found extremely useful. But what is often not understood, is that there are different types of hormone replacement therapy, even amongst those prescribed by doctors.
Premarin is one of the best well know, and oldest, types of hormone treatment. Premarin is made from the urine of pregnant horses, and is an estrogen only hormonal pill. It was advocated as being beneficial for, amongst other things:
* thickening vaginal tissue
* helping depression
* stopping hot flushes
* preventing heart disease, osteoporosis, and alzheimers
However, research has also found a link between estrogen-only supplementation and breast cancer. The cells in the breasts and the uterus are responsive to estrogen. So to add estrogen in, without the checks and balances intrinsic to our normal hormonal system, can stimulate the growth of this tissue.
What many believed was a mitigating factor in premarin's favor was the belief that it helped prevent heart disease. This presumption was based on the fact that premarin lowered LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol had earlier been identified as a risk in developing heart disease. However, this belief has been found to be unsupported in several large clinical trials. In one involving women who had heart disease, those taking premarin (in combination with a synthetic form of progesterone which was given with premarin to prevent endometrial cancer), these women actually significantly increased their risk of having another heart attack in the first year of use. This risk leveled off after that, but it didn't provide any heart protective effects. In a study with healthy women, hormone replacement with premarin, with or without a synthetic progesterone supplement, did not decrease the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
Another drawback to premarin and other hormone replacement therapies is the way they are often prescribed, in a kind of 'one size fits all' way, irrespective of a woman's size or medical history.
But the news is not all bad with HRT therapies. When premarin was developed, there was not the ability amongst scientists to produce other types of estrogen. Because the estrogen in horses is not natural in women, side effects like bloating, headaches, and sore breasts are common. And because the breakdown products of estrogen from horses are so strong, actually more active in the body than the original horse estrogen, they have a pronounced effect on estrogen sensitive tissues, such as the breast. And given that numerous studies have shown that these metabolic by-products can produce changes in the DNA of cells that are carcinogenic to living tissue, it is no surprise that the incidence of breast cancer increases when women take premarin.
But there are alternatives. Bioidentical hormones are developed from soy beans or yams, and their chemical structure is designed to reflect that which is found in women's bodies. Further, bioidentical hormones are not usually given in a standardized, 'one size fits all' dose, but tailored to a woman's presenting history. They are generally given at low doses, and because chemically they behave more like regular estrogen, they are not associated with the side effects of premarin, although they have not been used in the large scale studies that premarin has.
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