Integrative medicine is the holistic approach that carefully melds the typical Western cancer protocols of chemo and radiation with often non-western therapies, such as herbs, botanicals, and vitamins; yoga; homeopathics; acupuncture; guided imagery; etc. “Carefully” is the operative word, because some vitamins and supplements can compete with some chemo drugs for the same metabolic pathways, making both ineffective at best and downright vicious at worst. But, since I’m not doing any chemo right now, there’s a whole world of integrative medicine open to me.
I saw Susan regularly a few years ago for treatment of migraines, back and hip pain, and awful peri-menopausal crap. Her combination of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and nutrition helped tremendously and got me over some pretty wicked symptoms. It was good to connect with her again, and to learn that she and I were on the same page with our goals: to get my immune system as healthy as possible to enable my body to fight when it’s time, to try and arrest the development of some of this cancer thing, and to get my Qi flowing the way it should be.
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| Little red-tipped needles - MUCH better than a bone marrow biopsy!!! |
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| Life is always better under a warm blankie..... |
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| Susan, a.k.a. "Doc" |
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| Peace, yo. |
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| The Dragon Room, obviously..... |
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| Susan's potion corner. |
A big part of Susan’s approach is nutrition, and she gave me a laundry list of things to start incorporating into my diet, including organic green leafies (kale, chard, etc., which are high in chlorophyll, a powerful blood builder – just the thing to kick ass on a blood cancer!); Brazil nuts (selenium-rich, they can slow cancer cell propagation and help kill off cancer cells that just ain’t dyin’ on their own); and whey protein instead of the soy protein I’ve been using in my smoothies (according to Livestrong.com, because of the estrogen-like compounds in soy, “…..menopausal women could be at risk for developing cancer with long-term intake of soy.” Why take the chance of inviting MORE cancer?)
So today, after a long romp with Jake at the dog park, we made a trip to
Boney’s/Henry’s/Sprouts and stocked up on healthies.
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| Just what the hell am I supposed to do with THIS thing????? |
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| Seriously, am I really supposed to eat something that's bigger than my head??? |
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| Uh-oh. I'm turning into one of THOSE people..... |
Now, those of you who know me know that I’m a recovering junk food junkie – until a few years ago, fast food was dinner most nights of the week. I slowly started making better choices at the grocery store, and then began cooking and freezing batches of yumminess that are easier to pull outta the freezer and heat up than a trip through the drive-through. Make no mistake: I’m still a Mexican food addict and would eat deep-fried chimichangas every night if I could. But since this cancer thing came along, I’m way more conscious of what I put in my body – if it’s gonna go in, it’s gonna do some good.
Wow – and it only took me 50+ years to figure that out…..!
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| Tonight's dinner: Barley-Lentil Pilaf with Mushrooms and Asparagus, served with a Sauteed Kale and Chard Melange Dressed in Fresh Garlic and Teriyaki Sauce.
Just tonight on the news, there was a report of new cancer drugs that yield
better results with fewer side effects.
Research is constantly producing improved, state-of-the-art cancer treatments
and therapies. Combine that with the “watch-and-wait”
approach and integrative medicine, and I think this non-chemo interlude will be time
well spent.
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