Elyn Jacobs's Blog (12)

 

“You have cancer” Three of the most dreaded words you can hear from your doctor.  Your world has changed and you feel a loss of control.    A moment ago you were a student, parent, wife, maybe even a doctor. Now, suddenly, you are a patient.  In the ensuing panic, disbelief, fear, and confusion you have to make decisions.  Likely right now you think “I can barely breathe, let alone function…how am I to figure all this out?”  Well, unfortunately, your life and your quality of…

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Disease (is) not an entity but a fluctuating condition of the patient’s body, a battle between the substance of disease and the natural self-healing tendency of the body.             HIPPOCRATES

CHM is a major aspect of traditional Chinese medicine, which focuses on restoring a balance of energy, body, and spirit to maintain health rather than treating a particular disease or medical condition. Unlike modern medicine, CHM is not symptom based,…

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There has been much controversy over the need for a positive attitude.  A positive attitude does not mean you have to be upbeat about your cancer or prognosis.  It simply means that if you convince yourself you are going to die, then it could just become a self-fulfilling prophesy, and the reverse…if you convince yourself you will live a long-healthy life, you are on the road to achieve this goal.  I have much confidence in modern medicine, and I sincerely believe it has its place. …

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I titled my blog “It’s a Strong Tree that Withstands a Hurricane” as I believe that a strong, healthy body is a formidable defense against cancer, similar to how a strong tree can withstand the fierce winds of a hurricane.  A body that lacks nutrients or that suffers relentless stress is at a disadvantage.  Stress, particularly when perceived as inevitable and uncontrollable, is a key factor in vulnerability to cancer. I will discuss nutrients later, but for now, I want to talk more…

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 For many women, feeling better about themselves involves cosmetics, hair color, a new dress.  For others, it involves a bit more.  For cancer patients, it takes on a whole different meaning. The last thing a breast cancer survivor wants is to be reminded of the tragic ordeal they’ve been through.  Those who have had to endure a mastectomy, whose nipples are either removed or left asymmetrical or changed, are often saddened by looking down or in the mirror. Beauty may be in the eye of the…

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I follow many, many blogs and cancer-related online chat forums. One I saw today really stung. A woman asked if anyone taking Tamoxifen had ever experienced debilitating bilateral posterior leg pain and the inability to walk or sit without intense pain. She mentioned that she had done all the tests, MRIs, x-rays, etc. with no resulting explanation for her pain. She added that her doctor took her off the Tam and her symptoms subsided significantly. Another woman mentioned that issue plus a host… Continue

Much progress has been made in Breast Cancer awareness. However, being aware of cancer neither prevents nor cures cancer. If I told you that I am aware my kitchen window is broken, would you cheer? Would my telling you this fix my window? Would it prevent another ball from coming in the window? No. I think the race for the cure is over. I ask you, who would benefit from finding the cure? Women, not drug companies right? But it is becoming painfully obvious that money is not being spent on a… Continue

Today I am excited to share a guest blog by Kelly Turner. Kelly is a researcher, lecturer, and consultant in the field of integrative oncology. She assists cancer patients who are interested in integrating complementary medicine approaches with their Western oncology treatment. Her interest in complementary medicine began when she received her B.A. from Harvard University, and it later became the sole focus of her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.



Kelly’s dissertation… Continue

The following is a blog post I wrote for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation:

 

“You have cancer” Three of the most dreaded words you can hear from your doctor. Your world has changed and you feel a loss of control. A moment ago you were a student, parent, wife, maybe even a doctor. Now, suddenly, you are a patient. In the ensuing panic, disbelief, fear, and confusion you have to make decisions. But you don’t feel like a patient. Maybe accepting the role of patient is unsettling… Continue

I’d like to share a special guest post to my blog by Sue Memhard, founder of the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. The Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation supports women in holistic/integrative cancer care. Many cancer patients either choose not to receive conventional treatments or have been told there is nothing we can do for you, get your affairs in order. The EHCF needs your support to help cancer patients pay for Alternative Cancer Treatment. Alternative treatments are rarely covered by… Continue

This morning msnbc posted a study on new mothers and bad health habits.  While most times having a baby results in loss of sleep, poor eating habits, less exercise and the resulting weight gain, this does not always have to be the case.  Breast feeding burns many calories, so if that is an option, great.  Nap time is a great time to exercise, so consider the stroller, but don’t just stroll, get moving!  Try to get out each day if you can, and when you can’t, perhaps pop in an exercise video…

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Cancer rates are not falling, and alarmingly, pediatric and adolescent cancers are rising. Many cancers develop slowly, over a long period of time, sometimes decades, so what your children are exposed to and consume now may increase their risk of cancer later in life. Children are little people. This means that exposure to environmental toxins and pesticides have a greater affect on them then on adults. It is true that many toxins (e.g. BPA and pesticides on foods) leave the body after a few…

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