I wanted to let you know how much one of your many insightful and thoughtful posts has meant to me.

Started taking Turmeric recently w/black pepper extract to help my body fight off the cancer cells that may still be present following breast cancer treatment this past year.

It isn't something I'd heard of before reading about it here on RfM, in one of your posts. Now that I've researched it, and learned some more, it makes a lot of sense to use if able.

So I cleared it with my oncology team and was surprised to hear that many of their patients take turmeric over the counter to help treat their cancer symptoms. It isn't something the doctors had recommended or prescribed.

I can tell a difference when using it how my body is responding to it, in a good way.

So again, just wanted to give you a big, heartfelt THANKS for being HERE on RfM. You help others in more ways than you can possibly know.

❤️



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2018 11:39AM by Amyjo.

I am very happy this is working out for you, Amyjo!!

After my Grandpa (the one I love so much) dying, in great pain (no hospice-type care when this happened to him), from ALL THREE different kinds of leukemia, and my aunt dying from pancreatic cancer, I am hyper about "doing" and "not doing" the "right" things we either know, or have good reason to believe, will prevent cancer (at least most kinds of cancer) from starting.

My breakfast every single morning begins with a handful of raw (and UNsalted) pumpkin seeds which I chew up really thoroughly (because otherwise, they would wind up--undigested--in our local sewage treatment system), as a source of the "good fats" needed to fully absorb the curcumin (turmeric-derived) and black pepper combination. ("Good fats" would be fish oil, which could be in capsules, organic olive oil, etc.).

The second part of my every single day breakfast is my supplements, and for me, this always includes a Super Bio-Curcumin capsule from LifeExtension ("Up to 7 times more absorption," according to the container label.)

If I did not have the Bio-Curcumin capsules, I would be stirring a half-teaspoon or so of ground turmeric (the spice used to make curry), plus some ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of "good oil" into cottage cheese (which is what I used to do, before LifeExtension brought out their enhanced- absorption curcumin capsules. (Since my supplements include fish oil capsules, the "good fats" component is automatic for me.)

[People in the Indian subcontinent, or those who eat Indian subcontinent-type diets (even unbelievably poor people who physically work, unprotected, with pollutants), have abnormally low rates of cancer, which is what prompted scientists to begin studying these kinds of diets in an attempt to determine "why." This is how the importance of the turmeric/black pepper/"oil" (all three, TAKEN TOGETHER!) combination was initially discovered. I remember when the first reports were coming out, and the health-oriented magazines were all saying: "We don't know exactly what is going on here, but the statistics are indisputable, so for the moment--and until we figure out the "why"--it would probably be a good idea to eat curry at least a few times a week."]

Because of my Grandpa (who I loved enormously), and my aunt (I was her primary caregiver during her last year's transition into death), I do not EVER want to go through a cancer death myself (or any more of them in my family, either)--and most especially if I can avoid such an outcome.

I am very glad this is helping you, and I thank you SO MUCH for this post!

Thank you! :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2018 01:42PM by Tevai.

I was just thinking yesterday that I wanted to write a general thanks to Tevai because she is often so supportive to so many posters. That takes time, energy and a warm interest in people. So thanks, Amyjo, for this post.

I'm glad you have found something helpful to include in your care. Also happy that you've run it past your Oncology team. Always good to keep them in the loop. I find that most MDs tend these days to be more open to patient involvement, rather than people being passive recipients of only the most traditional care. Most MDs I know have no objection to patients incorporating ideas like Tevai describes into their treatment approach.

Tevai, I appreciate reading about all the people and things you know and your life's adventures. It's interesting too to read about your daily supplements etc. I am not very adventurous and have been slow to try foods from other cultures and origins but my sister has got me into East Indian cuisine. I find that after I've eaten an EI meal (always at a restaurant, I can't cook it) then I crave the taste for weeks. I finally realized it's the spices. They act on the brain or something and keep on calling me back. I've been reading lately about the turmeric and want to try it too. I get the same cravings after I've eaten a meal with our neighbours from the Middle East. I'm going to ask them what they put in their dishes. Lots of pickles are served up too - not my favourite though - but I try to eat some to be polite. Their toddlers love the spicy pickles. I've never seen little ones diving into crunchy pickles like that before. They are healthy with boundless energy. I want to be that bouncy.

I'm so sorry about your beloved relatives passing, Tevai. I know it's so tough. My aunt for whom I was named died of cancer a few years ago. All my extended family is in England so we've not seen each other often through the years. I was particularly close to this aunt but even so hadn't seen her for a long time and couldn't go over there when she was ill and we knew it was terminal. It was a very tough decision to stay on this side of the ocean. We and our relatives have always understood and accepted that unfortunately, due to distance, time and expense, we wouldn't see each other nearly as much, even in times of grave illness, as we could if we were on the same continent. I didn't see my grandparents in their final years or aunts, uncles and a cousin even when we knew they had cancer. It adds to the pain of loss.

Mom told me (and I wish she hadn't) that my aunt this last time asked for me in her last days. I keep hearing her lovely soft refined English voice saying "Where's Nighty?" and it still hurts. I made the wrong decision that time not to go, no matter what (scared of flying, couldn't miss work, etc). I miss her more, I think, because I didn't see her to say good-bye in person.

Re the supplements, etc: I would like to study nutrition more. It's a field that has become more visible lately, at least to me, due to the epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions that are so prominent in our society now. I like to keep up with research results and especially conclusions about causes. Even basic guidelines you thought you knew have changed now and we find out that what we may have thought healthy previously is not any more, or maybe never was. I would like to eat food that isn't killing me. I want to include safe supplements that promote well-being. Every single one of my deceased relatives has passed away from cancer. Scary genetic history. In fact, a GP recommended we sign up with a research study as there is so much cancer in our family. I could hope for a better inheritance!

Good luck with the turmeric et al, AJ and Tevai. I am going to try it too. If nothing else, I quite like that craving feeling. Weird eh?

The turmeric has been countering some symptoms I'd been having that the doctors weren't treating. So for me I now consider it a 'miracle' albeit homeopathic remedy. It kills cancer cells in the body.

I wasn't a candidate for chemo because of my "low risk" assessment for it recurring elsewhere following a genome test run on me last year. Even though my lymph nodes tested negative, it is still possible for cancer cells to have gotten into other parts of my body outside of the breast where it was diagnosed. My surgeon told me this, and so did my brother who is an oncology therapist. The oncology doctor who makes the decision of who gets chemo bases it on the genome testing and lymph nodes.

For me the turmeric is added insurance of snuffing out any cancer cells that got past the ductal area.

I lost a brother to cancer when we were children. He suffered for 18 months before he died from it. His death in our family resulted in my having been mostly vigilant about screening foods like sodium nitrite and monosodium glutimate from our diet. There are other foods I need to become more aware of.

Today I met with a nutritionist. She went over dietary guidelines established by the American Cancer Society (and I have lots of booklets now to read.) Plants based diet, lots of fruit/vegies, with no more than 18% of red meat in diet weekly (and lean meat,) among other things. I already consume low amounts of red meat. Need to watch how foods are cooked. Mostly common sense things.

As for dairy, I'm good with what am already consuming - and I'm a big dairy lover. Though it's high in calories, the calcium is essential for bones, so those are good calories - and I already watch the fat.

The Turmeric has made a noticeable difference, as in overall improvement since I've been using it these past two weeks. An oncology nurse I met with this morning hadn't heard of it before. Funny that the one I met with last week told me many of their patients take it regularly. :)

Today however, the nurse has lined me up with genetics testing to see whether there's an Ashkenazi component to my breast cancer. There is no history of it in my family that I know of, except for my distant cousin Olivia Newton-John. She and I both are from the same Ashkenazi ancestry. She's had breast cancer off and on for the past 24 years.

Today was my first mammogram since being diagnosed last November. I'm happy to report it came back in the clear. Good news.

Thank you Tevai for spending time with us

Gratitude for all you bring sort of like gardening. Thanks for coming in the garden and bringing your gardening ways with you

:)

❤️ Just wanted to post you a ❤️ as well Tevai. So cool. It is in color (Red) and I feel like I'm wearing a dress, stepping out of a broken house into RfM color!

Hey, how do you do that heart thing? I like it.

It's on "Heart emoji" on emojipedia. It's the ONLY one you can copy and post to RfM. Look for "red heart," simple. :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2018 03:57PM by Amyjo.

It's because RfM has ❤️ !!!!

I think it may have been tevai that turned me to vitamins that I am still taking.

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you, everyone!!!

I appreciate all of you SO MUCH...and I appreciate every one of your thoughtful, and incredibly kind, words.

Thank you--each one of you--for being YOU...and for adding so incredibly much to my life!!

Thank you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2018 04:33PM by Tevai.

Each of us owe her a beautiful arrangement of her favorite flowers. He house needs to be decked in perfect blooms and the air needs to be fragrant with their perfume.

Cheryl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Each of us owe her a beautiful arrangement of her
> favorite flowers. He house needs to be decked in
> perfect blooms and the air needs to be fragrant
> with their perfume.

I will happily accept flower thoughts!!

My favorite flowers are lupines (California wild flower), California poppies (our California state wild flower),and orange blossoms (the whole Valley used to smell of orange blossoms a couple of times each year--and although this was not my own experience, there are many tales told of virginity happily shared, in the orange groves, on the warm nights in the Valley when the orange blossoms were in full bloom).

Thank you for the wonderously beautiful day you have given me, everyone!!

Tevai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will happily accept flower thoughts!!

✽ ✾ ✿ ❀ ❁ ❃ ❊ ❋ ✣ ✤


❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀





Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2018 05:03PM by Elder Berry.

Pretty!^^^^

Unfortunately I couldn't find flowers.

I did find this. ✡️

That is awesome, Elder Berry!

Dy-no-mite. :)

Tevai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> there are many tales told of virginity
> happily shared, in the orange groves, on the warm
> nights in the Valley when the orange blossoms were
> in full bloom).

Lovely sentence Tevai. But what is "virginity shared"? :)

Nightingale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tevai Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > there are many tales told of virginity
> > happily shared, in the orange groves, on the
> warm
> > nights in the Valley when the orange blossoms
> were
> > in full bloom).
>
> Lovely sentence Tevai. But what is "virginity
> shared"? :)


One or the other, or both, were virgins when they entered the orange grove...but exited the orange grove as no longer virgins.

I could guess the outcome. :)

Just never heard it said that way before. Sharing virginity amongst the orange blossoms. Very nice.

Nightingale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I could guess the outcome. :)
>
> Just never heard it said that way before. Sharing
> virginity amongst the orange blossoms. Very nice.


If you are individually ready, and are willing/eager for this to happen, and are with "the" person you would most like it to happen with, it really can be "sharing."

Maybe part of it was the bit of stardust which was a part of what we considered our ordinary lives: the remaining old-fashioned houses (both adobe and Victorian) in the Valley, plus the roads and hills and orange groves and the mountains which surrounded us on all sides, had played parts in countless films since before the early 1900s (as well as, by that time, a great many TV productions too), and there were scattered times in daily life when screen "reality" and three-dimensional reality seemed to merge: for the duration of a particularly memorable dance at a party, or a walk through a deserted country club, or an unforgettable class, or a high school football game.

(San Fernando High School, in the East Valley, our main football competitor, was where Ritchie Valens went, before he dropped out of school because he had become a major recording star...Sally Field was at Birmingham High, in the Central San Fernando Valley--also one of our regular football competitors...and we in the western Valley had our share of professional performers too--though more people from our West Valley schools actually wound up, as adults, behind the cameras than they did in front of them. Lots of producer/writer types...not so many performers.)

We who were growing up then all thought we were living ordinary, middle class, American lives, but the reality was more complex.

In addition to the regular, middle American, "Ozzie and Harriet" stuff most of us lived in our own families, there was a real, but at that time mostly subconscious, touch of magic in the air...and none of us understood that until we looked back at our earlier lives and realized that the deep feelings we felt in "that" orange grove, on THAT particular night, were being substantially enhanced by the fact that THAT orange grove was where Roy Rogers or Gene Autry had once chased the villain, on horseback, in some shoot-'em-up we had all seen years before.

In a way, that congruity had the effect of memorializing our own, intensely personal, experiences--seemingly (for us), for the ages--and that is why, for at least some of us, those experiences were definitely "sharing virginity."

Tevai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In a way, that congruity had the effect of
> memorializing our own, intensely personal,
> experiences--seemingly (for us), for the ages--and
> that is why, for at least some of us, those
> experiences were definitely "sharing virginity."

Poetic. Orange blossoms are the best for sharing something intense.