I'm eagerly anticipating new meetings with CancerCare's oncology social worker-mediated groups.

Here I am going to serve as publicity flak.

1) they gave me two wigs -- 

the insurance-covered place is certainly splendid, but I wasn't feeling going by train to Port Jefferson just then

they gave me two because there was the one that... was just really great but not the low budget option

about wigs: 

if you know me, you might be surprised I didn't shave my head, or plan fifteen different progressively shorter and more colored hair styles

but, I learned, as one of the only ppl at the buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya who did not shave head: it takes much longer to grow back from ground zero

about scarves:

moving company in 2015 managed to lose the box containing ALL OF MY SCARVES

fortunately, mom was moving and sent me lots of her scarves she didn't want: pretty enough that passerby and friends were like, "that's a style choice, not chemo"

2) they have a great thrift shop

yeah, I mourn the demise of the Memorial Sloan Kettering UES thrifts and pop-up shops, but CancerCare's -- whoa, reversible leather jacket, $40; cashmere-lined leather gloves, $6;  sweater coats (hey, it gets ridiculously cold in hospitals)

I'm pretty sure I could have claimed cancer and poverty, but as a lifelong thrift shopper (from age 9?), with parents who owned consignment stores and shoe stores, it is incredibly satisfying to carry home as much as one can carry of quality clothes for under $200.  It was the Hadassah(?) in LA that provided me with all those Armani Suits, first cancer. 

3) as an organization, they step in: hey, you need help (important pandemic time)

 Some CBD and other OTC cream/pain relief research:

          CBD Creams, Lotions:

          I have tried several.  In general, I go online and purchase straight from the companies:  they often have discounts.  In NY, where creams are available in local bodegas/smoke shops, they are hideously expensive.  Think $60 for something that is $30 online.

          Quantity is a consideration.  You may want to sacrifice strength to get an Aquifor/CerVe-sized vat.  I find it helps relax the muscles that tense up around the areas that hurt most.

      Strength is my major consideration.  Currently I have CBDFx Muscle and Joint Cream 1000mg.  That’s right, 1000mg (1g).  It is easy to find stuff with as little as 25mg.  At that strength, Voltaren is better.

         CBD Salve:

          Think Tiger Balm with CBD.  I use one from Straight Hemp.  I have been known to use it as I use Tiger Balm, on my temples.  It can have a mild botox-like effect on wrinkles.

CBD Tincture:

Under-the-tongue drops.  I use these a lot.

          Oil:  Hemp is oil-soluble.  This is the reason one finds it in baked goods, capsules, creams, etc.  My criterion is taste and effect.  This is also the area where is type of hemp comes into play.  Leafly has real information.  For example, Sativa can be energizing.  I have been known to clean the kitchen after taking some.  Indica is more relaxing, anxiety-reliving, and sometimes soporific. 

I have Extract Labs Immune Support Hemp Tincture because it is rumored that it offers immune support.  But it is yucky:  it tastes like hemp. 1000mg.  Believe me, I did not pay $125.  They tripled their price when it received news coverage. 

My local (yes, my stretch of Kings Highway is equally divided between smoke shops and pharmacies (who claim they have notaries but do not)) has Blueberry and Blood Orange flavors *the same price as online*.

CBD Distillery is another source I have used. 

          Water-soluble: Binoid CBD has this.  I’m trying out peppermint 500mg.  This is magic because one can put it in fizzy water, hot tea, etc.              

          Delta 8, Delta 10, THC-O, etc.: These tinctures are perfectly legal and widely available.  They are metabolized as THC/Delta 9, which is not legal in NY.  They can show up as THC in drug tests.  However, they are stronger than just plain CBD.  So, yes, one gets a bit stoned. 

          Edibles:

CBD Gummie Bears are widely available.  I don’t use them because they contain HFCS.  Edibles in a vast variety are available where THC/Delta 9 isn’t banned.

Non-CBD:

Many creams contain menthol and lidocaine.  I have had co-workers who complained about the smell. Thus:

Voltaren was prescription-only ten years ago, but now it is in every “big box” pharmacy (I had friends who visited Italy all the time and would bring it back for me).  It is unscented. It is much better than

Vanishing scent Icy Hot.

Vanishing scent BenGay.

Lists include:

https://www.forbes.com/health/body/best-cbd-creams/

 

Holiday in...

Doctor's appointments over holidays are always challenging, because many patients have time off from work while many offices are doing their best to rotate their staff in order to ensure that everyone can have some sort of holiday. 

Waiting rooms are full.  Schedules slip.  Records and prescriptions aren't communicated as easily.  Thus, my "chemo teach" got bumped from 11 am to 3 pm, bumping a mammo/sono to 4 pm Friday.

The 3 pm (+45 min wait, but I was warned) had to be truncated, and so the port will be installed after my first treatment.  I was a bit surprised by the dexamethasone burst-and-taper over the next month.  I am sorely tempted to cut the pills in half. 

So, the mammogram/sono got moved to 4 on Friday, luckily, because there was a last minute cancellation.  Yes, there was a 45 minute wait, a snafu with the prescription for the tests, and a lack of records transfer. 

As we all knew (or at least I did, my last mammogram records weren't there), the visible dysplasia wasn't going to easily show up on a mammogram.  Was I surprised that more detailed photos of my left breast were ordered?  You betcha.  Same with the ultrasound:  we got better images of the problem area.  But we also got more thorough-than-expected images of my left breast, including one set gathered by the supervising doctor personally.

Note:  My dear ultrasound artist:  THANK YOU for putting a space heater in the room!!!  She explained that the room was kept cold, and the window wall was cold in winter (though it was an unseasonably warn 55 degrees). 

So there are two iffy spots in my left breast, ones that did not show up on the PET scan.  My surgeon will decide whether or not to biopsy them.  Hope is, whether they are benign or not, the neoadjuvant 
treatment will take care of it.  Still and all, I won't be too surprised by biopsies, and may even request them.  The swelling in one left lymph node detected by PET scan only (not me) may be explained by this stuff.

Whether or not they are malignant, they are a recurrence of the pre-cancer I had in my left breast, which is oddly NOT a spread of the cancer in my left breast, but INdependently co-arising. 

Breast Cancer Redux

Here's part of my story: 

Under my old health plan through COBRA, a second surgery was covered, but my mammograms (which generally are two-parters, due to irradiated tissue/need for ultrasound) were not completely covered. 

Last year this time, I discovered what appeared to be a keloid on the right side of my sternum.  It is exactly where underwrire bras hit me, and so that team and I basically said "check into it".  Why didn't I?  Doctor appointment exhaustion?  Billing & records concerns?

Thus, a year later, the little scar had changed size a bit.  For something completely unrelated, after I had visited a dermatology PA twice, I went to the Dermatologist she then recommended.  I asked, "so long as I am here, what about this?"  He immediately took a biopsy.  It was malignant breast cancer involving the dermis. 

It is not particularly operable right now, but wer're all happy the PET scan indicating that it is a "when you see is what you get" growth, not metastatic.  So, neoadjuvant therapy. 

We'll see how much and how quickly the growth becomes operable, excise it, and hopefully go at radition with a cycberknife, because of it's location in "Beverly Hills Adjacent" -- where the last radiation happened -- and then probably adjuvant chemo. 

I'm a "no monkeying with my hormones" person as well as a "I will suffer every listed side effect for every drug prescribed."  This persists beyond menopause.  I know it can be tough when doctors hear this, especially before relationships to patients form. 

Many people research their prescriptions and develop listed side effects subsequently.
But others, like myself, without being armed with information, are led to wonder, why on earth do I seem to have chemically-induced suicidal ideation?  Where is the x, y, and z problem coming from? 

Many people will look up cures, use message boards, or glean information from not particularly official sources.  That's not me. 

Thank heavens I forewent reconstruction surgery!!!

effectiveness of chemo at five years report

small sample, irrelevant for cancers where chemo is not typically used, but http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/contribution-of-chemotherapy-to-5-year-survival.pdf Thanks #AnnahSobelman for leading me to this line of questioning.

Very Overdue Update

I started this blog when I was diagnosed. After graduating to one mammogram a year, I found that insurance coding had changed -- that while *screening* mammograms annually are free, if they find something (which they always do --) it is "diagnostic", and so not completely covered -- i.e., "well the screening mammogram was covered, they found something scary, and did an ultrasound, which we aren't going to cover 100%". Wha? You are doing this to someone who has had breast cancer? In any event, I was put on watch and wait diagnostic mammograms every six months (again) last fall. None of which are covered completely. Scheduling the new one now -- Because of all of this, I'm menopausal, which is cool -- So, at what's supposed to be the five year mark, I'm not five years clear, and some of my friends -- have gotten masses in different parts of their bodies -- and were informed that chemo only works for two years. Going to look that up and report back!

News

On the evening news last night, somebody reported about breast cancer.  My Mom and her friend (we were hanging out, watching the news), boosted the volume.  While the reporting about Gen X, Y, Z, breast cancer was particularly egregious, I ... had to leave the room.  

No soy, birth control pills, or other hormone manipulations.  No smoking, but especially no smoking with birth control pills.  Find out your BRCA statuses.  I understand, as you do, the risks of early mammograms, on large populations.  But if you have naturally cystic breasts, 35 is aok for a baseline mammo.

I started thinking about filling in the gaps on this blog and making it a bit more public.  

My last event, 9/12, worked out well, and I was a learning lesson on proactive invasive biopsies on young women who've had previous breast cancer, at Cedars-Sinai.  

Doing some eldercare here in Florida, I realize even more than ever that Lindi Vanderwalde in LA is not only a "great cutter", but also a friend in the foxhole.  

LCIS is usually multicentric and is frequently bilateral. In a large prospective series from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project with a 5-year follow-up of 182 women with LCIS managed with excisional biopsy alone, only eight women developed ipsilateral breast tumors (four of the tumors were invasive).[

and yet Big Pharma recommends tamoxifen...

Follow Ups

Thanks to my soon-to-be ex-husband, I am lucky to have great insurance.  While the follow-up protocol is breast exams, "careful monitoring of symptoms" (whatever that may be), and mammograms at six month intervals, my amazing breast surgeon was able to develop a plan that was an annual MRI, and an annual mammogram -- thus checking everything every six months, but having the more accurate images.

Well, the MRI picked up a mass in my "other" breast.  I immediately thought of Leonard Bernstein's MASS.  My surgeon did an ultrasound (my previous biopsy had been ultrasound guided by her), and she found a mass, but in a slightly different location.  Her breast exam, and my GYN's (hey, why not get all of these appointments taken care of while I'm hanging around?) revealed nothing.  Gala Labor Day weekend, then I had a mammogram and second ultrasound.  Nothing.  However, I have "cystic" breasts --- breast cancer doesn't run in my family, but this type of tissue does.  Radiologist advised scheduling everything *after* the full moon, say, during new moons, so that my hormones wouldn't be fiddling with the tests.  My breast surgeon scheduled a second MRI in a different facility, one in the hospital where I had had my previous MRIs, which has the equipment in place to perform MRI-guided biopsies. By this time, I was hoping a biopsy wouldn't be necessary, to the extent that during my admission process, when the techs etc. kept saying, you are here for a biopsy, I kept saying, no I'm here for a possible biopsy after the MRI.

I was there for a biopsy.  Reminder to all that my right arm is off limits for IVs and what not, due to the lymph node removal there two years ago.  Seven core samples.  Sharpie on my left breast, "Yes."  A friend looked up online and saw that WD40 removes sharpie from skin.  Or Acetone.  Or goof off.   I was saying, maybe I should get a tattoo that says "Yes" on my chest.  She said that was one of the worst ideas I've ever had, go get some WD40.  I know where three different sorts of WD40, Acetone, nail polish remover, goof off, and graffiti removers used to be in my old house.  48 hours of waiting, spent primarily cancelling flights and sleeping.

Well, they did find something.  Lobular carcinoma in situ and atypical lobular hyperplasia (LCIS/ ALH).  This is actually even less than Stage 0, because it is not ductal.  I think.  Must do more research, which I will report here.  My other cancer was a palpable lump (found by my soon-to-be ex-husband).  He had found a lump before and it was just a cyst, but I had a baseline mammogram back then, around 9/11, and everything seemed ok for a person with cystic breasts.  Nine years later when I did turn up with stage 2 (although my surgeon assures me it was really only a stage 2 when measured in a particular way) with two of three sentinel nodes involved (so seven lymph nodes were removed -- first set, second set), the cyst (I think the radiation burned it out?) is gone, but remains a sort of harbinger of doom.

I think it is completely obvious to say, after all this, that for people who have had breast cancer before, mammograms and breast exams are NOT sufficient to detect trouble early.  Despite all of the published opinion to the contrary.

I have also decided that "watch and wait" is not a good idea for stage 0 in people who have had previous breast cancers.  Now, I know from previous research that a cancer in the other breast is generally considered a completely different cancer -- it just doesn't walk across.  But, I seem to have this body which is extremely excited about making experimental cells.

So, I meet with my surgeon (more rental car extensions, etc.) next week, and we make a plan to excise as much as possible.  Since I can't tolerate tamoxifen or raloxifene, I'm hoping not to undergo prophylactic chemotherapy.

More on Memory Effects

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I was looking at memory effects and other side effects of lupron, tamoxifen, raloxifene,

http://genxbreastcancer.blogspot.com/2011/01/memory-effects.html

they cause memory effects. At the time, except on (generally not so reliable?) web forums, there was a great deal of complaining about these, especially in the case of lupron, where they were said to be irreversible and severe.

Many more medical sites, and some anecdotal evidence from older women, indicated that there were memory effects with menopause, and that this was pretty -- par for the course? Not talked about, lest it demonize older women in the workplace? Something one can work around? One's memory might not be so swell in any case? So that having menopause temporarily induced early -- might be ok? Better than a cancer recurrence?

Everyone has to make her own decision about this, but I want to tell you, of the side effects, and I suffered them all to some extent, the deterioration of eyesight, soaring risk of unrelated cancers (as high as 40%), soaring risk of blot clot and stroke, and memory loss -- acting, well perhaps goofy or downright crazy, but actually not remembering anything -- forgetting calls made, conversations had, e-mails sent -- hours long lacunae every day, more than a trip to the fridge or the store or the library wondering, oop, where's the car? why am I here? but forgetting the trip, and its result. Opening the fridge and seeing some item, and wondering -- hey, who bought the corn?

To revise Lyn Hejinian completely, to what extent is memory an aid to writing? What is the meaning of remaining in the now when 1) there is no past or future, 2) you don't remember what "now" was like earlier in the morning?

Now, some of these memory effects -- I wrote about this I think in an e-mail to a friend -- were perfectly ok. I dindn't want to be doing the laundry or unloading the dishwasher, and so my mind would just block out those repetitive chores. In the same way, this is how I lose my cars in parking lots (*especially home depot) -- because it is such an unpleasant routine, I am thinking of something else, when I park, and go into the store. Stress *obviously* has a part in this, and being seriously ill -- no matter how temporarily, is extraordinarily stressful.

Some Rare Radiation Side Effects

I may have mentioned before that one of the rare radiation side effects I suffered from was "radiation flu" -- low grade fever (not particularly responsive to aspirin), achy, you know -- flu. It is more common in older women, so no one informs younger women -- how common it truly is! I had this for over a month.

Another one is lung damage to the lung underneath the irradiated area. Again, because this uncommon, about 5% of breast cancer patients, and because it is more common with older patients, it didn't occur to me -- or anyone! -- that this was what my persistent, dry cough and lung pain were. It doesn't heal particularly well on its own without a steroid.

Is my current thyroid condition temporary or permanent? Was it caused by radiation, or is a reaction to the "hormone stew" created by raloxifene? Watch this spot for answers. I'm hypo, meaning, after weeks of prednisone mania (I cycled off after three weeks, not TWO MONTHS!), I can barely get out of bed.

a last gasp...

Oestradiol and oestrone levels in two groups of women (oral contraceptive users and non-users) were investigated by Sarkola et al. (1999). Blood was removed 40–150 min after alcohol intake (~2.5–7.5 UK units consumed in 30 min at 6 p.m.). Food intake was not controlled. In oral contraceptive users, an assumed alcohol-induced rise in oestradiol, but not oestrone, levels was evident. In the non-users the evidence was less convincing. In agreement with the proposal of Mendelson et al. (1988), these authors suggest that a change in the redox state of liver cells induced by alcohol metabolism is responsible for increased enzymatic conversion of oestrone to oestradiol. Furthermore, they cited the work of Tseng and Gurpide (1979), which reported that the enzyme responsible, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 enzyme, is induced by the synthetic progestins contained within some oral contraceptives.

More Alcohol and Cancer!

"And in women, drinking may change estrogen levels, increasing the risk of breast cancer." from the LA Times

New Study in the British Medical Journal
http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d1584

If we assume causality, among men and women, 10% (95% confidence interval 7 to 13%) and 3% (1 to 5%) of the incidence of total cancer was attributable to former and current alcohol consumption in the selected European countries.

I.e., 1-5% of cancers in women attributable to alcohol.

Of that 1-5%, 2-8% are breast cancer.

A substantial part of the alcohol attributable fraction in 2008 was associated with alcohol consumption higher than the recommended upper limit: 33 037 of 178 578 alcohol related cancer cases in men and 17 470 of 397 043 alcohol related cases in women.

This is somewhat curious as "109 118 men and 254 870 women, mainly aged 37-70" were surveyed. How could there then be 397 043 alcohol-related cases in women, if 254 870 women were surveyed? What is this claim -- that they are alcohol-related -- based on? Where does the reporter get the estrogen link claim, if there are more alcohol-related cancers in fewer men?

OK, upon further reading, the study supports a finding that 3% of all cancers in women are alcohol-related. If one then looks at the total incidence of all cancer in women... then 3% of that number could be... 397043?

The highest absolute number of alcohol attributable cancer cases in men was found for upper aerodigestive tract and in women for breast cancer. The study mentions this several times, as in

What is already known on this topic
Alcohol consumption has been causally related to cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast

For cancers that are causally related to alcohol consumption, the proportions were 32% in men and 5% in women, with a substantial part (40-98%) being attributable to current alcohol consumption above the recommended upper limit of two drinks a day in men and one drink a day in women.


Here is this -- WHICH I HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE:

the alcohol (ethyl alcohol) in the drinks, consumed at the rate of two or more drinks a day, that increases your levels of circulating estrogen

Studies that have investigated the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the level of oestrogens and progesterone in both pre- and post-menopausal women are reviewed. It is concluded that several lines of evidence point to an alcohol-induced rise in natural or synthetic oestrogen levels in women. Proposed mechanisms include an increased rate of aromatization of testosterone or a decreased rate of oxidation of oestradiol to oestrone. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked to decreased progesterone levels in pre-menopausal women.

And they say they don't know how pr+ cancers in women function.

This is all very confusing; it says in several very public places that alcohol increases estrogen production, especially in the breast. But the scientific sites don't say that.

BPA & Plastic on greengirlla.com!

http://greenlagirl.com/bpa-free-plastics-can-still-release-chemicals-that-mimic-estrogen/

More Radiation Permanent Side Effects

Now, it starts coming out. What WILL you experience after radiation? Hard to find out. I mean, it is not as though you're not going to radiation if you don't have a masectomy.... but can't you please let us know?

Radiation Damage of Tissues
The extent and progression over time of tissue damage following radiation depends on the amount of radiation and the fractionation schedule.

Following acute effects, chronic changes may occur which are characterized by a deterioration in the small blood vessels, cells, and fibrosis of tissue. Atrophy and ulceration of soft tissues aggravated by trauma and infection are possible further changes.

Surgery in irradiated tissue can prove to have poor tissue healing.

Radiation injury with impaired healing most often appears three to four years after treatment. It is not uncommon to see progressive chronic degeneration for 10 years+

If you have a cord, you have to work it out [physical therapy]

There is rib soreness. Your ribs are weaker, and could conceivably break more easily.

Cholesterol Lowering Medications

Statins, as seen on TV (Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, etc.) Some types of statins are naturally occurring, and can be found in such foods as oyster mushrooms and red yeast rice. I am taking some mushroom juice. It is yummy. You're not supposed to eat any grapefruit, but I'm wildly allergic to it anyway.

Side effects are cognitive loss, neuropathy, pancreatic and hepatic dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction, renal damage, muscle deterioration, and nerve damage. These are all pretty rare, though, and since these are literally the most popular drugs on the market, lots of people are using them.

One medicine which keeps your intestines from absorbing fat. Instinctively, this seems like a good idea, but IT CAUSES CANCER. No dice.

Niacin, yup, the vitamin, which -- good to get some, but better not to induce liver toxicity!

Resins

Medicines which make your liver produce more bile. Instinctively, I think that anything *else* that touches the liver is not good.

Bone Loss Support Research

With an anti-estrogen, there are also two additional drugs one has to pursue: one to counter bone density loss and one to counter cholesterol.

Because there are side effects to this, the rule of thumb seems to be to DEMAND (you will have to demand) a bone density scan (different than the bone scan you probably had earlier) to establish a baseline, and WAIT. Yup, they'll ask you to wait until you have bone loss. Yet, there is more. Even if you already have osteoarthritis (I do -- lower back and hips -- who knew)? That is apparently *not enough* to indicate... you're at elevated risk... for osteoarthritis.

I guess these are really drugs to avoid. I'm on prescription strength vitamin D and OTC calcium (which also includes vitamin D).

The ones I know about are Actonel, which my husband took, Fosamax, as seen on tv, and the one Sally Field is the spokesperson for.

Actonel: Risedronate
Fosamax: Alendronate
Boniva: Ibandronate

there are also two more:

Skelid: iludronate
Reclast: zoledronic

These are all bisphosphonates.

Of these, my husband may have had sensitivity to light, but who knows -- he has always been sensitive to light, plus the other medication he was taking caused very similar side effects. It increases risks of cancer in the esophagus to .2% from .1%, which is pretty darned insignificant. It is also used for metastatic cancer in the bone.

Side effects:

nausea

burping

dry mouth

stomach pain

diarrhea

constipation

gas

headache

dizziness

depression

anxiety

weakness

leg cramps

back pain

frequent or urgent need to urinate

painful urination

dry eyes

ringing in the ears

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following side effects, call your doctor immediately before you take any more risedronate:

difficulty swallowing or pain when swallowing

new or worsening heartburn

chest pain

itching

rash

hives

blisters on skin

swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

difficulty breathing

hoarseness

swollen, red, or painful eyes

sensitivity to light

painful or swollen gums

loosening of the teeth

numbness or heavy feeling in the jaw

poor healing of the jaw

A Path

So, I have chosen a path, which is to begin on raloxifene. If I tolerate it well, I can ramp up to tamoxifen. If I don't, I can find another option.

My oncologist strongly advises avoiding recurrent cancers at all costs, that the 30% reduction in all recurrences is a 30% reduction in recurrent cancers, and that in younger women, recurrent cancer is not 50% mortality rate, but 100% mortality (i.e., even if one has a normal life length, it would not be anything but the cancer which ended it).

phytoestrogens

note that these were listed under xenoestrogens; there is conflicting evidence about naturally-occurring estrogens such as these -- more evidence that that the chemical estrogen mimics are bad, or at least worse, health-wise.

Table 1. Foods high in phytoestrogen content.

Phytoestrogen food sources
Phytoestrogen content (µg/100g)

Flax seed
379380
Soy beans
103920
Tofu
27150.1
Soy yogurt
10275
Sesame seed
8008.1
Flax bread
7540
Multigrain bread
4798.7
Soy milk
2957.2
Hummus
993
Garlic
603.6
Mung bean sprouts
495.1
Dried apricots
444.5
Alfalfa sprouts
441.4
Dried dates
329.5
Sunflower seed
216
Chestnuts
210.2
Olive oil
180.7
Almonds
131.1
Green bean
105.8
Peanuts
34.5
Onion
32
Blueberry
17.5
Corn
9
Coffee, regular
6.3
Watermelon
2.9
Milk, cow

but is important to consider, given that if you are switching to an anti-oxident-rich "anti-cancer diet" -- even though there is no evidence that THAT plays any role in breast cancer recurrence, and has everything to do with colon cancer, not liver, brain, lung, lymph or bone cancer -- you will be emphasizing these plants, when you should be eliminating them (for hormone receptive cancers)

Total phytoestrogen and lignan content in vegetables, fruits, nuts and drinks.


Vegetables
Soy bean sprouts
Garlic
Winter squash
Green beans
Collards
Broccoli
Cabbage

Fruits
Dried prunes
Peaches
Strawberry
Raspberry
Watermelon

Nuts and other legume seeds
Pistachios
Chestnuts
Walnuts
Cashews
Hazel nuts
Lentils

Beverages
Wine, red
Tea, green
Wine, white
Tea, black
Coffee, decaf
Beer

Other
Black bean sauce
Black licorice
Bread, rye

The bummer for me, in this, is that flax, rye, lentils, almonds, chestnuts, dates, berries are some of the few foods I can eat.

Interesting, too, is that CANadaOLA OIL is not on these lists from canada, but olive oil is. Hmmm.

xenoestrogens

this is a list from a blog that has some debunked risks in it, that I will try to eliminate

A List of Xenoestrogens
Posted on October 20, 2007 by sowgenerously

If you are attempting to avoid xenoestrogen exposure, here is a list of substances to avoid. I compiled this from many sources and it’s the most complete list on the Internet. Xenoestrogen contributes to “excess estrogen” or “estrogen dominance”.

Avoid:

* Commercially-raised, non-organic meats such as beef, chicken, and pork
* Commercial dairy products including milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream – Use only organic products that do not contain bovine growth hormone
* Unfiltered water, including water you bathe in – Use reverse-osmosis filtered water such as Dazani or get your own filter
* Laundry detergent – Use white vinegar, baking soda, or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP)… According to some experts, avoid even the Seventh Generation and Eco brands

I figure trader joe's hi-e is ok.

* Dryer sheets and fabric softeners – Use white vinegar is a marvelous natural fabric softener, no smell after it dries

The problem IS the smell after it dries! see avoidance of lavender oil... aiyyy I was using lavender instead...

* Avoid Primpro, DES, Premarin, Cimetidine (Tagamet), Marijuana, and Birth Control Pills.

* Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
* Paraben preservatives
* Soy
* Ground flaxseed – If you’re looking for the Omega-3 effect, use fish oil instead
* No sunflower oil, no safflower oil, no cottonseed oil, no canola oil – Use olive oil or grapeseed oil
* Avoid Tea tree oil (melaleuca) – I know, I love tea tree oil, this one is tough
* No lavendar oil
* Avoid coffee and caffeine
* Sage and rosemary
* Shampoos, lotions, soaps, cosmetics that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol – Almost all contain them, you have to look far and wide. Make sure no Dr. Bonner's with tea tree or lavender!

* Avoid reheating foods in plastic or styrofoam containers
* Avoid drinking out of plastic cups and containers

This has been pretty thoroughly debunked, although my reading today IS implicating plastics manufacture... (doing it, living near it)

Avoid naturally occurring plant estrogens:

* Coffee
* Clover, red clover tea, alfalfa sprouts
* Sunflower seeds
* Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot)
* Pomegranate – The Greeks used this plant as a contraceptive!
* Dates
* Fennel
* Licorice, red clover, yucca, hops (beer) and motherwort
* Bloodroot, ocotillo, mandrake, oregano, damiana, pennyroyal, verbena, nutmeg, tumeric, yucca, thyme, calamus rt., red clover, goldenseal, licorice, mistletoe, cumin, fennel, chamomile, cloves
* 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
* butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)
* atrazine (weedkiller)
* bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
* erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
* nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
* polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
* parabens (lotions)
* phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
* phthalates (plasticizers)
o DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)

Here is another list from Dr. Peter Eckhart, MD:

2. Change your laundry detergent because it cannot be fully washed from the clothes and can be absorbed through the skin. Do NOT use dryer sheets or fabric softener.
3. Do not use anything on the skin with parabens or phenoxyethanol in them. This includes shampoo, soap, makeup, hand lotion, body lotion, and toothpaste. Oral substances are 90% filtered by the liver. Skin-absorbed substances are 100% absorbed by the body, thus, a skin dose is 10 times an oral dose.

4. Avoid coffee. Avoid decaf coffee. No caffeine. No tea. No colas. Caffeine increases estradiol levels by 70%!

5. No sunflower oil, no safflower oil, no cottonseed oil, no canola oil. (Guess that leaves olive oil).

7. Avoid estrogenic herbs especially TOPICALLY such as sage and rosemary.
8. Avoid weak estrogens such as soy and ground flax seed.
9. Many sunscreens are estrogenic. Check.
10. Use cosmetics with minerals or grapefruit seed extract as a preservative.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Smith, MD, there are some things you CAN do:

* Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food and water. Heat up your food using a glass or ceramic bowl covered with dish. When plastic is heated, it diffuses very rapidly into food.

This is true of all plastics *not* designed for microwave use as well as microwavable containers, which should never be washed & REused (like the ones frozen foods often come in), and other plastic containers food comes in, which, sorry grandma, should be RECYCLED, NEVER REUSED.

* Use a simple detergent with less chemicals; Nature Clean is a good choice for both laundry detergent and dish washing detergent.

* Simple Soap is a safe choice for shampoo and a body soap.

* Use natural pest control not pesticides.

* Avoid Synthetic Chemicals.

* Don’t use herbicides; use a cup of salt in a gallon of vinegar. That's nice if you want to kill *everything* and not just weeds.

* Buy hormone free meats to eat.

* Buy “Organic” produce, produce grown without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizer or hormones.

Actually, this is about strawberries, raspberries, apples, peppers, peaches, nectarines, pears, cherries, grapes, spinach, celery, and potatoes, and not so much about everything else. In case you were wondering.

* Use Condoms without spermicide for Birth control instead of Birth Control Pills. Use Natural Progesterone instead of HRT. << absolutely not; almost all ER+ cancer is also PR+

* In general, the hormones taken orally are first pass metabolized by the liver 80%-90%. However, when these hormones are applied to the skin, the hormones are directly absorbed by the body. Thus, any skin dose is 10 times that of an oral dose. The vast majority of skin lotions and creams use the parabens as a preservative. Avoid them at all costs. Instead apply a vegetable oil right after a shower to hydrate the skin and lock in the moisture.

Baby oil and cold cream: that's what I'm down to right now.