Friday, 25 July 2014

Reclaiming normality
So the school holidays have begun and thankfully I'm starting to feel like my old self again. I have been busy doing things that are more in line with normality.
I had nominated my sis as baton bearer as part of the run up to the Commonwealth Games and she was running her 200 metres last Saturday in Bearsden. We had to be up pretty early to get ready and be over in Bearsden for 8.30am. I hadn't told Anita that I would definitely be there so it was a nice surprise to be calling her on from the side of the road as she ran past in her high heels (my sis loves shoes)!
It has also been wonderful having great days with the kids, more so because of the days that I missed through feeling rotten. The weather has been fantastic (unusual for good old Scotland) and so we have been to the beach lots, to the skate park and meeting up with friends for walks and picnics. 


Fun in the sun!







With regards to health, I'm starting Tamoxifen shortly. To be honest, I am not happy that I will be on long term medication. I am advised that to try prevent recurrence, I need this drug. I know that it is probably for the best, but it is hard to put more drugs into my system. Hopefully, I will not notice any side effects. I can only wait and see and ensure that I learn as much as possible about the medication.
Click on the link -Tamoxifen Info

What I am happy about however, is that I am moving steadily towards my 'veganisation' and loving it. I have borrowed some vegan recipe books from the library to get some inspiration for new meal ideas. And as usual I am still doing my usual research on the whole subject of health and diet.
Only today, one of my new FB friends who regularly posts and campaigns about nutrition posted a link from the Guardian regarding the poultry industry. It is an eye opener. Here it is...
Click on the link-_So you like chicken?

I also came across an excellent lecture on YouTube from Dr Michael Greger, 'Uprooting the Leading Cases of Death'  This American MD is also an author and professional speaker. This lecture is scientific, educational, inspiring and amusing. I urge you to watch it. It explains how animal products damage our health, leading to the top causes of death in the West. He also explains why medical and government institutions are not telling the public about this information. There was a great deal of information about diet, exercise and cancer outcomes...you can tell I was inspired!
Click on the link- Uprooting The Leading Causes of Death

Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Eat Up!

I have just watched an excellent programme about a group of diabetics who chose to take themselves to a vegan 'camp' to try and heal themselves of this debilitating disease. They also had a host of other problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They were away for a month. After 1 week of a raw vegan diet most of them were able to stop their medications. By the end of the month, they had all (except 1) lost weight, regained health and vitality, and their bloods were all within normal limits without medication. The exception to this was a type 1 patient who was able to drastically reduce his insulin. It also transpired that one other patient who completely reversed their diabetes was told by his GP when he came home that it wasn't type 2 diabetes as they had originally thought, it was type 1. So he had reversed a disease, thought to be incurable.("Simply Raw Reversing Diabetes in 30 days" www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pjkC71exKU)

It's amazing what our diets can do! It is a subject I am fascinated by. I believe that we can heal ourselves by eating properly. I also believe that our western diet is killing and mutating our bodies. The proof is all around us. Despite wonderful advances in technology and science our health is becoming worse. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's and heart disease are all top killers in our society. Our health services are buckling under the strain that these diseases are putting on them. The future prognosis is scary, a quarter of the UK population is obese, including children. Sadly we now regularly see a plus fit size in children's clothing. 
Your Local Guardian: Lots of fat was recently found underneath Kingston's streets
Fat in a London sewer. Now imagine your arteries!
Cancer, heart disease, stroke rates are also on the increase. The way we eat is also affecting out environment.The growing demand for food and animal fodder is having huge consequences on climate change, marine life and pollution and there are calls from the EU and WHO to reduce this trend.

It's not easy to change a lifetime of bad habits. My own cancer story has really shaken me up. I want to try to change the future poor health outcomes for me and my family. I thought I ate reasonably healthy, but let's be honest, most of us have treats every day. Junk food has invaded our lives in the form of so called convenience. What's so convenient about cancer?
The truth is we have all been duped by big business. Sugar, fat, dairy, refined white foods or to be more precise, nutritionally deficient foods fill up our cupboards. We are a nation addicted to junk foods. And sadly, it is a situation created by fast food retailers, supermarkets and commercial agriculture to keep us addicted and consuming. Don't worry though, if you get sick, which you will, your doctor will ensure that you have all the right medications to keep you ticking along for another few years to consume some more. Thanks for that big pharma!

I really do get angry when I see people dying of malnutrition and parasitic diseases in some countries, while others put on programmes of people overindulging just for fun. Corruption and greed have created this dichotomy and it is a sad reflection of the social culture we find ourselves in and one completely avoidable. I get angry when I know that we are being 'fed' a bunch of lies in the guise of consumer choice when most common diseases are preventable through proper nutrition.                                       

So what's the truth? Well that is not an easy question to answer. Every day there is a new piece of research to tell you what to eat, or not. How much to exercise, or not. What drugs will help your symptoms, or not. The truth is hidden somewhere under it all. It's hard to see, you have just got to push your way through the misinformation and use your common sense. Jamie Oliver has been telling us about what is in junk food for a while now. And don't forget Gillian McKeith and her now famous phrase "you are what you eat". If we look to other countries and cultures where the rates of these killer diseases are very low we find that they eat a wholefoods, plant based diet. To put more simply, they don't eat white refined crap, they eat less animal products and use the whole grain and plenty of fruit and veg. (http://www.apocp.org/cancer_download/Volume9_No2/d%20351%20Filiz%206C.pdf)
 The World Health organisation recognise this and recommend a shift to this type of diet to reduce the global obesity crisis and other diseases (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/).

So why am I telling you all this? Well I guess it's my way of trying to bring some awareness to our 'sick' problem and also it is an introduction to my own nutritional journey which I am travelling. Let's all try to be more conscious about what we are eating. Now that my chemo has finished, I will be getting back to eating better and nagging you all out there to do the same!



Sunday, 13 July 2014

Moving forward

It's been difficult I have to be honest, but I have reached the end of the chemotherapy sessions at last! I really wasn't sure if I'd make it to the end as session five was so gruesome. The nursing and medical staff were great and really tried to accommodate me as much as possible. Dr Scott's parting words were kind and supportive advising that if I couldn't go ahead with the last treatment, to not beat myself up too much, I had done well. But it was the words of Theresa, my lovely new friend and a breast cancer survivor too, that gave me the strength and courage to walk through the doors of that oncology department for the last time. Over a lovely brunch, Theresa simply said "if it was me, I would be trying to maximise my chances." She doesn't know that her words rattled about my brain for the next week, gently persuading me to do it anyway.
I'm now at day 12. The nausea is waning away. I feel my strength slowly returning.
On Friday I got three tattoos! But not of the regular image kind...3 tiny dots to mark radiotherapy treatment areas. It won't be long until I start daily treatments. I believe it makes you tired and your skin can get sore, but after the nausea I have had, I'm less worried about it.
It feels great to join the land of the living again! Going for lovely walks, out for shopping, meeting friends, out for a nice meal, a walk along the beach...heaven!

from this...
                              to this!


On a final note, the musical that my sister has written to raise breast cancer awareness, is now racing ahead in it's production. Tickets are now on sale. It will be amazing so have a look at the link and grab yourself a great night at the theatre!