Posts Tagged ‘cancer’
Posted by terrepruitt on March 23, 2020
For those of you my age or older you may remember a time when it was unusual to know someone with cancer. Now the reasons for that can be many things including but not limited to the fact that there is different testing in place. Also it could be that there was less contact with a large number of people and in so many different places. I mean, we might have known all the people in our neighborhood, but we didn’t have thousands of “friends” throughout the world that we “know” on Twitter. Either way/whatever the case there was a time when you MAY have known ONE person with cancer. Now, it is common place. Every one of us knows AT LEAST one person with some form of cancer or someone that “had” cancer. Well, I believe that today is the day, today is the last day that I will be able to say that I don’t know anyone personally that has had or has COVID-19. I feel that we are reaching the point very soon where everyone is going to know someone that has had it or has it.
I am not even going to state any numbers here because I know that by the time I finish typing this and posting it the numbers will have changed. I can just say that, even though none of the various sites I look at that post numbers actually have the same numbers, the numbers are growing. The reported number of cases, deaths, and recovered are all growing. The number of cases is growing FAST. And at this point, the United States is moving towards the top of the list.
Now, that “knowing” that I am talking about could be a person I actually know and have met face-to-face OR it could be friend from Facebook or Twitter that I have not met face-to-face. But with the way things are going there is going to be a “knowing” very soon.
I just wanted to go on record and remember this day. Today, Monday, March 23, 2020 I did not know anyone with COVID-19. I am loving that feeling. I am sad and sorry for anyone and everyone that cannot say the same thing as me, today, right now. And I am sorry because I feel like soon none of us will be able to make that claim.
It is a sad historical thing and I will be the first to celebrate if I turn out wrong.
I waffled about posting this because originally I thought I would keep my blog virus free, but I don’t believe that such a thing is possible. I mean, I already posted routines because of the situation.
I do hope that all of us that are participating fully in flattening the curve can continue to stick to our guns and not let the people who are being careless get to us. Sometimes it is difficult to stay in quarantine when so many others are not (“Well, if she’s going out, I want to too!”) but it will be awesome to know that we did not contribute to the spread of the virus at all.
Do stay safe and healthy. Do comment and “talk” with me because, ya know, isolation is lonely. Tell me how you are doing.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: cancer, COVID-19, face-to-face friends, Facebook, March 23 2020, reported number of cases, Twitter, virtual friends, virus | 20 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 12, 2014
Ahhhh . . . recently I have been feeling . . . I don’t know . . . if I had to label it, I would say “depleted”. I think the time has come when I am starting to miss my mom. Ya know at first, I was busy and the last couple of years she was too tired to talk much so we didn’t talk that much . . . it could be a couple of weeks between phone calls. She had also had limits on us visiting her. Since she was not someone I see or talk to everyday it just seemed like a long time “in between” conversations. Now, two months later . . . it is starting to affect me. And I realized I felt a little depleted. I hadn’t talked to my mom or seen my friends in a bit so I figured I needed a visit with a friend. It just so happened I lucked out this week. One of my friends/students has been away for a month and yesterday she showed up at Nia. She came to class and it happened that she didn’t have an appointment or another class to rush off to. So we sat and visited. Then as we were visiting another friend showed up . . . which was really out of the norm. It was obvious to me that this was all meant to be. So I was able to get a little refilled. Ya know the kind of replenishing that you get from visit with friends? Then today after my Nia class I met with a friend for a quick visit, but we hadn’t seen each other in so long it turned out longer than we had thought. It was a good visit. A replenishment. I want to post some information about how good relationships help us in life.
I was going through some papers and I found a little blurb that was printed many years ago that said having a deep conversation with a good friend might reduce anxiety in woman. The theory was because it increased levels of progesterone. So I went looking for the information on the internet and what I found actually distracted me from my original search (NO! That NEVER happens to ANYONE EVER!!!!!). Well, first let me quote from the article I found online at Michigan News
“Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman’s mood?
A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.”
So while we might not have known the biological reason why having close friends is good or makes us feel good we have heard enough information that we know research has shown friendships add to our lives. But what I found took it a little further reminded me of how not only do GOOD friendships help make you feel better and give you health benefits they have been show to improve your health when you are ill.
Again, looking at information from years ago . . . WebMD’s article “Good Friends Are Good for You” states:
“One such study, reported in the journal Cancer, followed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. Those with ample social support had much lower levels of a protein linked to more aggressive types of cancer. Lower levels of the protein, known as interleukin 6, or IL-6, also boosted the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Women with weak social support had levels of IL-6 that were 70% higher in general, and two-and-a-half times higher in the area around the tumor.”
Also according to the article women with breast cancer in a support group had less pain and that “strong social support helps people cope with stress.” Well, I know, for a fact that this is true for me. I don’t need a study to tell me that I am less stressed after a visit with a close friend.
The article mentions that having a lot of friends may even reduce your chances of getting a cold. Well, I don’t believe that quantity of friends is what supplies the benefit, I think it is the quality. If you are able to vent to your friends and receive support and hear their stories and give them support back . . . that is what supplies us with stress relief. We are getting things off our chest and getting support in return. We are connecting with real people that have real problems and getting a sense of not being the only one whose life it not TV perfect. And I believe relieving stress and making that connection supports our immune system which in turn helps protect us from catching colds.
So, my advice . . . if you are feeling blue or overwhelmed or perhaps not really certain what you are feeling, a little out of sorts, visit with a friend. See if that helps cheer you up. Might not take away all of the blue, but perhaps it will help ground you a bit so that you can do the rest.
Do you know what I am talking about? Have you ever felt that wonderful fullness after a visit with friends? Do you believe that a good social network can help support medical treatment? What else have you got on your mind?
If this post sounds familiar . . . .you could have read Friends For Life, which is pretty similar. 🙂
Posted in Misc | Tagged: breast cancer, cancer, chemotherapy, death of mom, Diane Bacho, Friends With Benefits, girlfriends, good friends, medical treatment, Michigan News, Nia class, Nia friends, Nia student, online article, progeterone, reduce anxiety and stress, reduce your chances, social support, University of Michigan, WebMD | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 17, 2014
A gathering for my mom is not going to be held until way later, at least four months from now. My father wants it to be after summer and I am not sure why, but at this time that is his present idea. We will see. Things are in flux right now. The “plans” we think we have get changed along with the ideas, so we will see. But regardless of exactly when we have it, it will be, as I said, months from now. I don’t know if it will be big or small . . . I imagine when something is held so many months after a death less people will attend . . . I don’t know. Anyway . . . . since I don’t know what will be happening, I thought I would put a page on my blog for her. I have had a few people share some stories or memories of my mom and they brought a smile to my face. It is nice to hear nice stories.
She was my mom, but as with anyone, you never know everything about them. Plus people have different perspectives so it is always nice to hear how a loved one touched someone’s life. So if you would like to share a story or a memory of my mom, that would be really nice. Share it as a comment on the Memorial Page “Diane Bacho – 1948 – April 11, 2014“. I will be moderating the comments, just because there are spammers and scammers. If you don’t have a blog you might be surprised to know some of the things that people comment. I am sure that just because this is about sharing memories of a deceased person that will not stop the spammy comments. So, once you type it, it will not show until I approve it. Again . . . I am requiring the comments be moderated just to keep the spam out, so please feel free to share whatever you like – just understand it won’t show up right away. IF for some reason you don’t want me to make your memory/story public that is ok too, but make sure that you type that in the comment and I won’t “approve it” for publication, I can just read it myself. Or share it with family accordingly. If you have already sent me a note, via FaceBook, or e-mail, would you do it again on the page? Please.
Also, I am thinking I will probably end up sharing a few of the stories (I am hoping there will be at least a few) at whatever type of gathering we end up having . . . whenever that will be. If you think of something after you share one comment, please feel free to comment again. The more the better. My father is not on Facebook and who knows if he ever will be. That requires him to sign up and blah, blah, blah, but my blog he can just look at. He does not have to sign up to see it, so if he chooses to check it out he will be able to read the stories and the memories. Not sure he will want to, but . . . it will be here for him if he does. So . . . please . . . share something.
Thank you.
And again, I want to thank you all for all of your support, it has been a God-send and has helped me more than you will ever know.
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Diane Bacho – 1948 to April 11, 2014 page.
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Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: April 11 2014, cancer, Diane Bacho, dying process, Memorial page post, share memories, www.HelpYouWell.com, www.TerrePruitt.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 3, 2014
Well, I didn’t want to turn this into a blog about death, but I have so many wonderful people asking me what is going on it is just so much more efficient for me to write it out. It saves time and heartache . . . I can just give one update and then point people to this. I don’t have to keep repeating myself. This is turning out not at all how we were told it would turn out. Which is really starting to annoy me because with everything that is now happening the medical staff is saying, “Oh that happens, sometimes.” Really? Well, no one told us that all this stuff might happen.
My mom has cancer. The size of her trachea has been reduced due to the cancer. The thought was that it would be reduced and damaged even further by the tube’s insertion and extubation. She had a tube in her throat for 10 days. The tube was connected to a ventilator but it was rarely breathing for her. For most of the 10 days she was breathing on her own, but the medical professionals felt that she would not be able to breathe without the tube. So when they told her she needed to pick a day on which they removed it the feelings were that not long after that she would die. But that has not been the case. The tube was removed at 2:28 pm on Monday, March 31, 2014 and she is still breathing on her own, today is Thursday, April 3, 2014.
Some of the “stuff” we were not aware of that could happen, the stuff my dad keeps being told sometimes happens is she is waking up. She wakes up and talks to him. One time it was for two hours (I think that was Wednesday). The nurses say she talks to them. She responds to inquiries about specific meds. She says thank you when then rearrange her. Her brain is not damaged nor is she in a coma, so she wakes up.
She is not hooked up to anything, but an IV for fluids. She gets fluids and meds. But she is wasting away . . . as happens to a body that does not get food after six days. A slow drawn out death.
I didn’t know that she would wake up and have moments of lucid consciousness. I thought the drugs they administer would keep her unconscious. So I am kind of annoyed that I am missing it. But at the same time I was happy that it was a couple of hours that my dad was able to spend with her. Alone. She was sad that they didn’t make it to their 50th wedding anniversary. That would have been 2015. There are many other things she was sad about but that was one thing she shared. I came home because I was under the impression that it would not go on this long. I was also under the impression that she would just sleep until the end.
Everyone copes differently . . . some of us continue on with our lives while other shut down. Shutting themselves away to wallow in sorrow. How people cope is a personal thing. Neither is right or wrong . . . it is just how we deal. I have been lifted up by teaching my classes and moving. My Nia students care and are supporting me. One of my yoga classes, the students don’t know. In one class where I was just subbing they didn’t know, but the peace and serenity in which they practiced REALLY helped me. It was so lovely to see their faces while they held their poses.
If it is not too much trouble, please keep your prayers and positive thoughts coming. They really are a source of strength to me.
Feel free to comment.
Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: brain damaged, breathing tube, cancer, coma, death, extubation, positive thoughts, prayers, trachea cancer | 20 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 1, 2014
HOLY MOLY!!!! Sigh. Ok, I feel that since I started it, I need to continue with it. Right? I mean, it is not my intention to make my blog all about death, but since I asked for love and support, I think it is only fair that I give you all an update. I sat with my mother in her hospital room for roughly seven days. During that time she was presented with an option that would have been extremely painful and risky. The surgeon gave three scenarios that could occur and two of them pretty much ended with immediate death, so she opted to skip the procedure and just spend her last days with a tube down her throat, unable to speak and unable to cry. She entertained visitors. Not many because it was exhausting to her. She also was asked to pick the day on which she would have the tube removed. The thoughts were that her trachea is so encroached with cancer and would be so traumatized by the tube that when they pulled it out she would not have much time before she died.
Regarding the procedure mentioned — for those that are curious — it was a stent. A stent was to be placed in the trachea. The idea was that it would hold open the collapsing trachea so that she could breathe. But, it would only be for a few days. The stent is not a permanent or even semi-permanent solution. It is also metal and rigid, it would not have flexed and moved. It would have been very uncomfortable/painful, because the trachea moves.
She did not want to go. She had a lot left she wanted to do. Knowing she couldn’t do ALL that she wanted to do before she died, she thought she could at least do SOMETHINGS. So she decided to have the tube removed on Monday. She made that decision on a Wednesday. It is MY belief that if she knew all that she would have to go through between Wednesday, March 26th, and Monday, March 31st she would not have picked that day. But she wanted to at least get her Easter cards written out. She also wanted to advise me of who gets what in the stack of Christmas gifts she already bought. She also wanted to spend as much time with her family as she could — who wouldn’t, right? But in order to do so she suffered a lot. The medical professionals taking care of her were always there to administer the drugs she needed so she wouldn’t be in pain, but those drugs made her groggy and unable to think clearly so sometimes I think she held off a bit. Plus the procedures that need to be done to allow someone to breath through a tube are not comfortable. So anyway . . .
We got to visit for several days. As I have said several times, she was unable to talk with the tube in her throat. She also was unable to cry because the contractions that happen when one cries caused too much pain. Normally I would not tell someone not to cry because crying is such a great release. I believe crying is good for the BMES – ha, yes, that is a Nia acronym. It helps clear the tear ducts and allows for a physical release. Crying helps clear the mind also. It is an emotional release as well as a spirit helper so to me, it is a good thing. So if you want to cry, cry — except while you are driving or you have tube down your throat and it hurts too much.
I was there until Friday night. I got home around midnight on Friday. I came home to do some laundry, teach a yoga class, do some paper work, and pick up my husband. We went back up Saturday night. We visited all day Sunday and waited around for 1:00 pm on Monday. We all were under the impression that at 1:00 pm it would happen. But we all forgot that “hospital time” is not exact. They do things — even scheduled things — around other things. So our 1:00 pm scheduled extubation turned into 2:28 pm. I trusted the medical staff (although it turned out not to be who we were told it would be) would see that she was not in pain, but we still didn’t know if there would be any gasping and gagging and who knows. I was confident that it would not be a long time after. I saw the MRI of the trachea/esophagus area. Nurses and doctors helped convince me that it would be quick. Well it was not. We are going into our 29th hour. While my mom is so medicated she doesn’t know what is going on and she feels no pain . . . this is NOT what she would have wanted. Lingering on. In fact every visitor that came to visit her while I was there, her answer to their comment of “I’m praying for you.” was “Pray that I don’t linger.” Again, I am at a loss.
Yes, we all have ideas as to why she has not died . . . . she is not ready . . . . she is doing it in her own time (something we call Natural Time in Nia) . . . ALL TYPES of ideas . . . but really we don’t know. All that I know is that this is really hard on my dad. This is not a case where she might revive and be ok. This is not a hopeful, “Oh, I’ll sit by your bedside until you are awake.” This is a grueling death watch. Judge me anyway you want, I left last night. I didn’t want to see her as I know she would not want to be. I didn’t want to hear the “death rattle”. Ugh! Since it is hard on my dad, if it drags on until the weekend I will go back up.
Well, this post is way longer than I like to have my post, but I really wanted to let you know what the status is. Also . . . I guess it helps to write it out. One more thing . . . I believe that I would not have been able to handle this if it weren’t for all of you. So many people have “come out of the wood work” to share and support and deliver sparkles. So thank you all for sharing and caring and giving. I have not been told I am loved or said, “I love you” this much in as many days before in my life.
Please keep up with those thoughts, prayers, stories, sparkles, and all that jazz. It REALLY helps!
Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: BMES, breathing tube, cancer, death, esophagus, extubation, hanging on, lingering, love and support, Natural Time, Nia, stent, trachea | 24 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 27, 2014
So, I am experiencing one of the oddest situations we have created for ourselves in the world of modern medicine and technology. I am sitting with my mother waiting for her scheduled time to die. I am starting this story for you a little bit backwards, because Tuesday I didn’t have a chance to post. My mother has been sick for a bit and I have been wanting to write about it. I wanted to share plus I am surprised to find it is a bit therapeutic. But I always thought I should ask her before I posted something, but now I feel it is past that point. I came up to be with her on Monday for the day for what we thought would be a procedure that would get her back out in the world and home. But it turned out that the doctors decided that the procedure would be too risky AND it wouldn’t really give us much more time. So they advised us to decide when they should remove the breathing tube that is keeping her breathing.
My mother is fully conscious. She has cancer that has affected her throat so she has not been able to eat for probably about a year and a half. She has not been able to swallow well for about eleven months. She’s been spitting into a cup and used a feeding tube. As I said I am telling this story a bit backwards, I will do another post regarding how this all started. I thought I would have time on Tuesday after my Nia class and Yoga Class to type up the beginning of the story so you could get a glimpse of how much she has been through and to end up here is just — I have no words. I started to type it but I didn’t finish and ended up not posting on Tuesday.
The cancer has spread to a point that is has basically mangled her trachea. She was in Reno on Friday and in the hospital with a tube in her throat Sunday morning. The tube is a small one they use on pediatric patients. That is the only size they could get down there and it was a struggle at that. One is not meant to live like that. The body will keep fighting it and trying to reject it. And with her body it is really going to try to fight it because her body has already had a severely compromised immune system. So a breathing tube — especially one meant for children — is not a long term solution.
When the tube was placed in her throat the idea was that it was going to be temporary — she was in the emergency room on Saturday and the tube was placed in during the wee hours of Sunday morning. The hope was they could put in a stent on Monday. Then, the thought was things could proceed a bit more. There was talk of additional chemotherapy and maybe even more radiation. But the team of doctors met and they were not optimistic. The doctor that would be performing the surgery was very frank and honest in talking to us about the procedure and the miracle that he would have to perform. He said he would do it if my mom said yes. But with the facts in front of her she decided not to have it done.
So then her next decision was when to have the doctors remove the breathing tube, the one that is keeping her alive. What kind of decision is that to have to make? I am still just having the most difficult time with someone having to be faced with that decision. Living with a breathing tube that is so small you can hardly get any air and that has to be cleaned out all the time is not for the weak. She can’t talk, she can’t laugh, she can’t cough, and she can’t cry. That is probably the worst part. She can’t cry. The pain is too horrible. She has much to grieve for and she can’t cry.
This is just crazy. I am at a loss. I am putting it down because I have to get it out. I am not ready to cry yet because I am pretty sure I won’t stop or maybe I am still just in shock. I had an entirely different picture of what was going on.
We are visiting as much as we can. Friends and family are visiting. She is communicating by writing. Sometimes she uses a little white board and sometimes she uses paper. We are not so great at guessing what she is trying to say, so she patiently writes it down for us. She also still has her sense of humor. She is funny.
I have found that the outpouring of love from people is really up lifting and very helpful. I have vaguely mentioned on Facebook that my mom was ill and many people have responded with positive thoughts and mentions of prayers. It really is helpful — all of it. To know that people are out there doing what they do when they want to support someone in need is amazing. So I am posting this to help shed some light on my vagueness and to give some of the people who are supporting me (and my family) some idea of what is going on.
Now the big thing. The big bad. The ugly. The most important thing . . . . the hardest thing . . . the thing I am typing blindly (I can’t see through tears). . . . can you take a moment out of your day (I know I am asking a lot) on Monday, March 31, 2014 at 1:00 pm to help her on her way? She is a strong, strong woman. A woman who has a lot to live for so letting go might be really difficult for her to do. If there were thoughts and prayers and vibes and ju-ju and love and songs and dances and lights and sparkly stuff to help her let go . . . to help her on the path to the next journey–that would be awesome. The angels will be there too, but I am sure she would love the additional stuff — she always loves a party. Would you do that?
Thanks.
Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: 2014, angels, breathing tube, cancer, collapsed trachea, dance, death decision, Diane Bacho - 1948 to March 11, emergency room, immune system, ju-ju, March 31, modern technology, mondern medicine, Nia, outpouring of love, pediactric breathing tube, positive thoughts, prayers, scheduled time of death, vibes | 48 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 22, 2012
I have so much to be thankful for I work on giving thanks all year long. I tell the people who I am thankful for that I appreciate them. I do feel so much gratitude that I don’t feel bad taking one of my posts for sharing some things and people who I am thankful for. Why not, right? It is my blog and Thursday happens to be one of the days I post. And since Thanksgiving is set up to occur on Thursdays it just happens that I will be posting on that day.
I did have a conversation recently with my Nia students and we agreed that it would be nice if the United States celebrated Thanksgiving in October as our Canadian neighbors do. We were talking about how it would be beneficial to have the Holidays spread out a bit. Having more time in between Thanksgiving and Christmas could ease some stress. It wouldn’t be one big rush. Plus the fact that not all of the days off from work would be so close together. Sounds like a good idea.
As I type this (a bit before Thanksgiving) what is really in the front of my mind to be thankful for is my Nia Students. I am very grateful to them for holding space for me while I took the Nia Blue Belt Training, the next level of Nia. As a dance exercise teacher there is a fear that students won’t come back if a class is cancelled. It takes commitment to come to a class day after day and week after week and sometimes once that habit is broken it is easy to let it go. So knowing that my students are committed to Nia and to supporting me really helped me let go of the fact that I had to cancel my classes and it allowed me to really BE where I needed to be.
I am also very thankful for the people involved with my Nia Blue Belt. I am thankful for the organizer. She kindly kept in communication with me when I didn’t know if I should sign up for the intensive because my mom had been having health issues and at one point she was going to be scheduled for a major (MAJOR, MAJOR) surgery the very week of the intensive. She let me know that I could register as close as 30 days prior. 
I have huge gratitude towards the Nia Trainers who each have their own story, one flying from Hurricane Sandy to come teach us, and the other having had a bee sting, a car accident, and surgery. And the class, my fellow Blue Belts. Some of the trainees are actually other belts retaking the blue, but they will be fellow blues to me. I appreciate the warm and welcoming space that was created and held. There were many people going through personal situations and they were able to step into the space strong and ready to learn. They put the issues aside and focused and made it through. Thank you so much, Blues!
My husband was so great during the entire week of training. I am a firm believer that the body and brain needs nutrients throughout the day so I make sure that I make him lunch every night. He is one of those worker-people that will just power through his day not giving a thought to food. So it is really important that he have lunch right there to eat. During the intense week he made sure to make his own lunch (AND DINNER) because he knew that if he didn’t I would. He helped it feel as if I were on vacation from my home duties. This helped tremendously.
I am very thankful for my mom’s health. She has been going through some issues this past year and true to my mom she has stumped her doctors. At first they didn’t know what exactly was going on, then every time they had a treatment plan it would change because my mom does not follow text books or protocols. She had a stricture in her throat which led to the discovery of lung cancer. And over the past year has had surgery three times none of which were the one that was planned to fix her throat. That surgery was to be a major surgery. And by some miracle (the doctors are amazed) that surgery is no longer needed and her cancer was removed along with a lobe of her lung. She is almost back to normal. She just needs to work on getting used to have less lung. I am very thankful for her health. It was a very long, stressful year.
My friends are always on the top of the list of blessings I am thankful for. I am always amazed at the wonderful people who I have that love and support me. And I am eternally grateful. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for Nia. It is an amazing practice and through it I have met even more amazing people.
I hope that those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving have a very Happy One. And I invite everyone to take a moment to think of something they are thankful for. Anything you care to share that you are thankful for?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Blue Belt Intensive, Blue Belt Training, Canadian Thanksgiving, cancer, Christmas, dance class, dance exercise, gratitude, lung cancer, Nia, Nia Blue Belt, Nia class, Nia students, Nia trainers, Practice, Thanksgiving 2012 | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 22, 2011
I believe that movement, like Nia, can help keep our bodies mobile and balanced. I also believe foods can give us nutrients to help our bodies function better. I believe there are natural ways to help stave off disease. But I do also believe that at anytime our cells can malfunction and cancer can occur. I don’t try to eat healthy with the idea that if I do I won’t get cancer because so many things can contribute to cancer. So many people have it. I was just remembering the days when I didn’t know anyone that had cancer. Now I know too many. There are so many different types. There is no guarantee one will not get cancer. On a commercial recently for a show I saw a doctor asked who gets lung cancer, her response was, “Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.” That is the truth. Anyone can get it. Unfortunately.
What I DO really believe is that a healthy body can fight it better. A lot of the treatments for cancer kill off good stuff in our bodies as well as the cancer. So if we have a strong healthy body it can combat the offending cells and treatment. Healthy people get sick, but they can often recover faster because they have a base of good health. A body can only handle so much. It is not able to fight off everything thrown at it. There is too much now-a-days. So the healthier the start, the better.
I know a lot of foods claim to decrease the risk of cancer but that is usually not what I am thinking about when I eat it. I am thinking about how the food is thought to assist in the function of the body. I am thinking about how I believe that the ingredients on my avoid list* interfere with the body’s healthy functions, which could very well result in a decrease risk of cancer, but will definitely result in your body FEELING better. Plus I believe that when your body feels better you will actually FEEL better emotionally.
None of us want to get cancer so foods thought to decrease the risk are worth consuming, but I think it is unwise to think that we will not get cancer because we are eating foods “proven to fight”/”shown to decrease the risk”. We should concentrate on eating well to feel well and stay healthy.
*Ingredients I avoid: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Partially hydrogenated Oils, Canola Oil
On somewhat of a side note: I have joined a Team for the American Cancer’s Society Relay for Life. The walk is May 14, 2011. If you would like to contribute, please do. I am walking in memory of a friend who succumb to cancer and family and friends that are survivors or are in current battles. Also on April 30, 2011, I’m walking in the San Jose MS Walk: http://bit.ly/terremswalk
Posted in Food | Tagged: American Cancer Society, cancer, Canola Oil, food nutrients, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, lung cancer, MS Walk, Nia, Partially Hydrogenated Oils, Relay For Life, San Jose MS Walk, San Jose Nia | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 2, 2010
For some reason, unknown to me, my hubby does not like medical shows. Medical dramas he will watch, but if I have on a show that is a doctor talking about anything he won’t watch it. So needless to say, I don’t watch those types of shows. I don’t know when they are on, but every once in a while I will turn on the TV when he is not home and there is one on. Like recently when I watched the Dr. Oz show when he was talking about foods that starved cancer. I just think all that stuff is interesting. I love to hear what they learn about the body. It is fascinating. Well, today I sat down for a moment and turned on the TV and Dr. Oz was on. I really should find out when it is on and just make a point to watch it when my hubby is not home because I always learn something when I watch his show.
I only saw a few minutes but it was really interesting. He was saying that it is important to change your home’s filter, ya know for central heating, every three months. I know we don’t do it that often, but after what he said I think it might be something to consider. I have always known that it helps trap dust and pollen and things floating around in the air that might help to aggravate allergies. But I never really thought about insect parts. Ewwwwww. He said that insects and their parts are a very common allergen. YUCK. Not something I really want to dwell on, but one of those things that I like to know, deal with, then forget about, ya know?
Also he has said that certain foods; onions, apples, and citrus contain Quercetin. Quercetin acts as an antihistamine. Which is something that most allergy sufferers take in pill form. It is awesome to me to be able to get some anti itch help from the food I eat!
The information I am seeing as I look around also states that Quercetin is also considered an anti-flammatory agent . . . and a lot of allergy symptoms are from inflammation so something that acts as an anti-flammatory is amazing to me.
I am very happy to have come across this information. I don’t always EAT white or yellow onions, but I do put them in food for flavor. I am starting to eat the red onions they tend to be less sharp. I do eat apples, but I don’t believe I eat them as often as I should, so I will step up my apple consumption. Although I like oranges, I don’t eat them that often because it is difficult to find good flavorful ones in the store, but I will work on that too. If these foods will help quell my allergy symptoms . . . . I am there!
Have you heard of Quercetin before? Do you eat onions? What about apples and oranges? Do you have hay fever/allergies?
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: Allergies, allergy sufferers, allergy symptoms, anti-flammatory. heating filter, cancer, Dr. Oz, inflmmation, medical dramas, medical shows, quercetin | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 11, 2010
Cancer is in all of us. Could be why we all know someone affected by it. We all have it in us. Experts call it “cancer without disease”. There are microscopic occurrences of cancer in all of us. Our bodies fight it off, kill it, or just don’t allow it to grow, but it is there. I watched Dr. Oz and learned some things I want to share. There is a process in our bodies called angiogenesis, this is a awesome and necessary process, it is when new blood vessels are formed. This is something that occurs when a wound is healing. It also occurs as a catalyst for cancer. When those cancer cells release chemicals causing new blood vessels to form that feed those cancerous cells or tumors that is when cancer becomes a problem.
There are ideas about fighting cancer before it becomes a problem. Love that idea. Let’s prevent and not have to deal with the result of the disease once the cells are out of control. What the talk is about is “starving” the cancer – ANTI angiogenesis. It is thought that there are foods that will assist with that.
The episode I watched talked about five foods that will help starve the cancer cells that may be/are present before they become an issue that has to be dealt with. The guest Dr. said, “It’s not about Doctors and drugs, it is about you and what you eat”. (Love that!)
The video on the site only has what I summed up for you (above), but I was taking notes so I could post it for you:
Five foods to assist with Anti-Angiogenesis:
1) Bok Choy
A Chinese Cabbage. (I don’t think I have ever had it.)
Dr. Li said it has brassinin which is believed to help fight cancer. His advice was to eat 1/2 Cup three times a week.
2) Cooked Tomatoes
(I have heard this before, but I forgot. I need to put it on my hubby’s plate.)
Tomatoes have lycopene, but cooking them increases the availability by two times. So COOKED tomatoes are what they recommend for preventing prostate cancer. The recommendation is for a 1/2 cup serving 2 to 3 times a week.
3) Flounder
(I don’t like fish.)
This is an omega three rich food and they say a 6 oz serving 3 times a week.
4) Strawberries
(I don’t like strawberries either, do you know why? The seeds. And you know what? That is where the good stuff is!)
They indicated on the show that strawberries are believed to be an anti-angiogenesis food in addition to them being high in antioxidants and they said its the seeds.
5) Artichokes
(I like artichokes, but with mayonnaise (which is not good in the amount needed to eat an artichoke) and I am not a fan of the hearts—and you guessed it that is where the good stuff is.)
They compared it to milk thistle and said the artichoke is a flower, the show also recommended a “per day” intake of the artichoke, he said 1/2 cup per day.
Some of these suggestions I’ve heard of, some of them are new to me. I’ve also heard before that cancer is in all of us, but I hadn’t heard about angiogenesis and therefore I hadn’t heard of ANTI-angiogenesis. It found it interesting. I wanted to share. I think I’ll try some Bok Choy next week and make certain that I get tomatoes on our plates. I’ll hold off on the fish. What about you? Do you eat these foods? Might you start? How do you cook Bok Choy?
Posted in Food | Tagged: angiogenesis, Anti-Angiogenesis, brassinin, cancer, cancer cells, Dr. Oz, lycopene, Omega 3, prostate cancer, prostrate cancer | 18 Comments »
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