I have been working with a number of people newly diagnosed with breast cancer, several of whom are suffering from panic attacks, so I thought it might be useful to post some information on how to stop a panic attack.
Because they can be so frightening, so debilitating and disruptive to your life, a panic attack is definitely not to be ignored.
Teal Swan To The Rescue
I had in mind to create a video with specific breathing exercises and other information, but I happened upon Teal Swan’s YouTube video “How To Stop A Panic Attack” and she has done such a good job at describing not only what causes an anxiety attack, tips on how to deal with them when they arise, as well as other holistic changes you can incorporate to help yourself heal from them, that I decided “why reinvent the wheel” and decided simply to share her video here.
Teal Swan, if you are not familiar with her, is an amazing young woman. She calls herself The Spiritual Catalyst and offers advice on many different subjects. She is incredibly wise for someone so young. You can read more about her life’s journey here.
So without further ado, if you are experiencing a lot of anxiety or panic over your breast cancer diagnosis, please take nineteen minutes to view this video, I believe it really will help you (or at the very least, steer you in the right direction).
If you do continue to suffer with panic and anxiety, let’s connect. Sometimes all you need is a really good healing plan to subdue those fears and anxieties. I would be honored to help you with that. Please go to my page describing my breast cancer coaching services.
GET MY BEST TIPS on getting through breast cancer and preventing recurrences by signing up for my free e-newsletters and e-books on the right. You can also “like” me on Facebook (Marnie Clark, Breast Health Coach) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
One of the things I always recommend people do is vote with their money. If you are against a certain product or manufacturer, don’t buy it, don’t support them. They will soon get the message when sales start to slump.
This also translates to health care. While doing research on some ingredients within three different breast health formulations for which I have recently been writing product reviews, I came across something really interesting. It is apparent that our voices are being heard by the medical establishment!
Most of my research is done on pubmed.gov, the US website that is a service of the US National Library of Medicine. Pubmed.gov has over 24 million citations for biomedical literature, and that’s where I discovered that we – as breast cancer patients and survivors – are being listened to.
Use Of Complementary Approaches Is Common
One study I was reading about the effects of flaxseed began with the words “Use of complementary approaches is common among breast cancer survivors.” 1
A 2013 study done on the medicinal mushroom ganoderma lucidum stated “Breast cancer metastasis is one of the major reasons for the high morbidity and mortality of breast cancer patients. In spite of surgical interventions, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy, some patients are considering alternative therapies with herbal/natural products.” 2
I’m so glad they noticed! Actually in America alone, upwards of $35 billion is being spent on alternative therapies and complementary medicine. Per year.
We Don’t Want Side Effects!
One study investigating indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and its effects on the aromatase enzyme (the chief enzyme responsible for activation of estrogen) really got me chuckling. The researchers said “Natural products as aromatase inhibitors have received growing interest in recent years because of their potential in the inhibition of aromatase with lower side effect, and the possibility to the translation from their uses as chemotherapeutic agents to future clinical uses in breast cancer chemoprevention.” 3 More on chemoprevention below.
As a breast cancer coach, the complaint I hear most often is about the side effects of the hormone blocking drugs being prescribed for people after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments end. We are being told that we “need” these drugs, that our lives depend on us taking these drugs, but the side effects can be horrific – doesn’t quality of life count for anything? So I was delighted to read that researchers are aware of this and are actively looking for natural products that will have the same or similar effect. Good for them (and about bloody time)!
We Don’t Want Toxicity!
Another research study investigating the effects of eugenol, a phytochemical found in clove essential oil, stated “Breast cancer is a major health problem that threatens the lives of millions of women worldwide each year. Most of the chemotherapeutic agents that are currently used to treat this complex disease are highly toxic with long-term side effects. Therefore, novel generation of anti-cancer drugs with higher efficiency and specificity are urgently needed.” 4
Highly toxic indeed. Mother Nature has provided us with everything we need to maintain our health. The only thing that has been lacking is the scientific proof that they work, and the studies are flowing in, thick and fast. Researchers (mainly outside the USA, sadly) are discovering every day that what we had relied upon for centuries for our wellness really does work. It is exciting for me every time I come across some bit of research that indicates something coming from nature has potent anti-cancer activity and can be useful for our health regimes.
An Ounce Of Chemoprevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure
A Polish study investigating the effects of curcumin as a possible cancer prevention agent stated “Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer among women, both in Poland and worldwide. Due to the constantly increasing number of breast cancer cases, it is vital to develop effective activities in primary and secondary prevention. One of the promising methods of best value, connecting both types of cancer prevention, appears to be chemoprevention.” 5
Don’t confuse chemoprevention with chemotherapy. The goal of chemoprevention is to avoid breast cancer altogether, whereas chemotherapy is the use of some fairly toxic drugs to kill a cancer in progress. Chemoprevention can be possible not only with drugs, but with certain very particular natural supplements. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say the natural supplements and healthy lifestyle work better than the drugs do.
More Effective Modality Needs To be Promptly Established
I saved the best quote for last. My favorite remark in a research study was made in this new study just released this month (Feb 2015). Researchers were exploring the benefits of the medicinal mushroom Phellinus linteus and remarked “Although several therapeutic options are currently available for patients with various cancers, the outcomes are often disappointing and a more effective modality needs to be promptly established.” 6
Understatement of the year.
Research:
1. A pilot study comparing the effect of flaxseed, aromatase inhibitor, and the combination on breast tumor biomarkers http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24669750
2. The mushroom Ganoderma lucidum suppresses breast-to-lung cancer metastasis through the inhibition of pro-invasive genes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24718855
3. Inhibition of testosterone aromatization by the indole-3-carbinol derivative CTet in CYP19A1-overexpressing MCF-7 breast cancer cells http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25612679
4. Eugenol triggers apoptosis in breast cancer cells through E2F1/survivin down-regulation http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24330704
5. Curcumin in chemoprevention of breast cancer http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24864107
6. Potent Anticancer Effects of Bioactive Mushroom Extracts (Phellinus linteus) on a Variety of Human Cancer Cells http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245057/
GET MY BEST TIPS on getting through breast cancer and preventing recurrences by signing up for my free e-newsletters and e-books on the right. You can also “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
One of the things I hear all too often from my breast cancer coaching clients is that they are tired of being bullied by their doctor when they want to investigate more natural ways to heal breast cancer, and many ask me for help on how to be more assertive at the doctor’s office.
Really – this is a big deal. People who are going through breast cancer are having to make lots of decisions about their treatments in a pretty short period of time.
The decisions that need to be made are scary, and if the wrong decision gets made, it could be quite detrimental to one’s health and, ultimately, life. So that part is hard enough.
Many of the people with whom I am working are wanting to go a more natural route. Some may choose to have chemotherapy and/or radiation and use a blend of natural therapies, some don’t want the toxicity of chemotherapy or radiation at all, and some will depart from their oncologist’s recommendations when it comes to the subject of hormone blocking medications.
Dealing With The Dinosaurs
Regardless of a person’s choices, it has been my observation that the more forward-thinking doctors are okay with their patient’s choices and support their decisions.
Every once in awhile, however, we run across a dinosaur. A doctor who absolutely refuses to see their patient’s argument and gets mad at them for having an opinion that is contrary to what is being recommended.
The dinosaurs are apt to say all kinds of negative things like, “Well you will be seeing me again in a few months when the cancer comes back.” or “You will be sorry that you made that decision.”
The most heinous thing I was ever told by one of my ladies is that her doctor told her “You are a dead woman walking.” Can you believe that? It still makes me madder than a wet hen.
So how to deal with the dinosaurs?
It can be a scary thing, going against your doctor’s orders. I know a few women who just about have an anxiety attack when they know they are going to have “that conversation” with their doctor.
Assertiveness is a skill that takes practice. It may be much easier for you to swallow your feelings and just crumble, but how will that make you feel later? You won’t be happy about it, I promise.
Please note – I am not advocating that you go against your doctor’s orders or recommendations. But if you have decided upon a different course of action and are dealing with a dinosaur, here are my best tips.
7 Tips On How To Be More Assertive At The Doctor’s Office
1. Most importantly, know that this is YOUR body. You get to say what happens to it. If you are not happy about your doctor’s treatment plan, and you have done the research and decided upon a different course of action, that is your prerogative. You have every right to do this.
2. Don’t go in unprepared. Think about what you want to say. Print off the research that you have been reading that leads you to believe your course of action is the better one. Prepare the words you want to use ahead of time. Visualize the meeting beforehand, with you speaking your truth and your doctor listening, and it will go much more smoothly.
3. Realize that by saying NO, you are not hurting the doctor’s feelings. In an hour or two, he/she will most likely forget all about this conversation.
4. Take a friend or spouse with you – someone who will absolutely have your back and support you if you start to crumble. Another set of ears to listen and take notes is always a good idea.
5. While you are in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen, do a little deep breathing. This helps ease your worries and anxiety. Breathe in what you need – peace, serenity, strength, resolve – and breathe out feelings of anxiety, worry, and fear.
6. Be specific, calm, honest, clear in your words, and be respectful. Make eye contact and use confident body language. The doctor will see that you mean what you say.
7. Keep emotions in check. This is not a time to cry or shout or lose your temper. Keep your voice even and firm.
At the end of the day, realize that your doctor works for you, not the other way around. You are not there to please them. They are there to help you get better and you get to have a say in what happens to you. By all means, listen to their arguments for a particular type of therapy, but if it doesn’t make sense to you, you have every right to seek out another doctor’s opinion and you have every right to say no.
I wish you much healing on your journey.
GET MY BEST TIPS on getting through breast cancer and preventing recurrences by signing up for my free e-newsletters and e-books on the right. You can also “like” me on Facebook (Marnie Clark Breast Health Coach) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
Doctors often tell us that triple negative breast cancer is harder to overcome because the usual hormonal therapies don’t work for this form of breast cancer. Don’t let that worry you though – there are plenty of things you can eat and supplements you can take which will greatly help your return to wellness.
What Does Triple Negative Breast Cancer Mean?
If the term “triple negative” is unfamiliar to you, it refers to the fact that this type of breast cancer has no hormone receptors on the surface of the cells, meaning it is not fueled by hormones. It is estrogen receptor negative (ER-), progesterone receptor negative (PR-), and it does not overexpress HER2, three of the things your pathologist will be looking for when a tumor has been removed and is examined to see what therapies should be recommended. It is often referred to as “TNBC”.
Does Food Actually Make A Difference?
Yes it does. A recent small study done on 354 women with TNBC found “that dietary modulations and/or micronutrient supplementations may prevent or reverse TNBC phenotype, so tumors can be treated with less toxic therapeutic strategies, particularly in genetically susceptible women.” 1
In another study reported in 2013, scientists found that “omega-3 and its metabolites undermine proliferation in all cell lines. However, they were dramatically more effective in inhibiting proliferation in the triple-negative cell lines.” 2
Food That You Should Include In Your Diet If You Have Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Wherever possible, try to ensure that the items from the list below are organic, because if you are trying to heal from cancer you need to stay away from conventionally grown produce and meats as much as possible due to the pesticide and herbicide residues. You really need to keep the toxin load at a minimum to give your body a better chance to heal. If you are unable to obtain organically grown produce, just make sure to wash – wash – wash it extremely well. Soak produce in a tub or pail of fresh water with a little white vinegar for a few minutes, then rinse well.
Here’s the list:
Apples, arugula, bell peppers, black pepper, blackberries, blueberries, bok choy, blackcurrants, boysenberries, broccoli, brown rice, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries (both sweet and sour), coconut oil, collard greens, cranberries (not the sugared dried ones), cucumbers, flaxseed (freshly ground is best), garlic, ginger, grapes (red are best), green tea, hemp, herring, honey (minimally processed), horseradish, hot peppers, kale, lake trout, leeks, lettuce – romaine, mackerel, mangoes, mustard & mustard greens, omega-3 fats, onions, parsley, peas, pomegranate juice, pumpkin, raspberries, reishi mushrooms, saffron, salmon (wild), sardines, seaweed, spinach, squash, tomatoes, turmeric, tuna, turnips, turnip greens, walnuts, watercress, watermelon, zucchini.
There are also quite a number of essential oils that research has indicated are helpful as well, if you would like to know more about which ones to use, contact me.
For information on the food that should be avoided, as well as a list of supplements and nutrients that support a healthy body and should be included in your health regime, see my page Diet and Cancer.
A big thank you for part of the food list goes out to http://foodforbreastcancer.com/ – written by Sarah Charles, herself a breast cancer survivor, and a woman of sharp intellect, Sarah has a mathematics degree from UCLA and is a Harvard graduate.
References:
1. Combined genetic and nutritional risk models of triple negative breast cancer:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25023197
2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Slow Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259069.php
GET MY BEST TIPS on getting through breast cancer and preventing recurrences by signing up for my free e-newsletters and e-books on the right. You can also “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
The Best Diet For Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancers
I am often asked “What is the best diet for someone with hormone receptor positive breast cancer?” Research indicates that nearly two-thirds of invasive breast cancer is classified as hormone receptor positive, so it’s a really great question to ask.
The quality of your diet and nutrition while going through breast cancer can play a pivotol role, not only for getting well, but also for staying well and avoiding recurrences.
What Does Hormone Receptor Positive Mean?
If the term “hormone receptor positive” is unfamiliar to you, it is a term employed when after a tumor has been removed and examined by a pathologist, the tumor was found to have an abundance of hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptors on the surface of the tumor’s cells. This indicates to your doctor that the growth of the tumor was being fueled by hormones. Whether that means the body’s own hormones (endogenous) were fueling the process, or hormones that came from the environment (as in xenoestrogens) is a subject of contention and covered by other articles in this website.
As a sort of short-hand, a breast tumor that is being driven by estrogen is termed “ER+”, a tumor that is fueled by progesterone is termed “PR+” and has both estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and if the tumor is fed by both hormones, it is termed “ER+/PR+”.
So Does A Good Diet Make A Difference?
Yes, absolutely it does. We now have plenty of research to support the claim that certain foods do have an inhibitory effect on breast cancer cells. In addition, it has been found that the combination of 30 minutes of daily exercise combined with a good diet full of vegetables and fruit gives the very best protection – much more than either one of those things on its own.
Food That You Should Include In Your Diet If You Have ER+/PR+ Breast Cancer
Whenever you possibly can, try to ensure that these are organic. If you are trying to heal from cancer, you need to keep away from conventionally grown produce and meats as much as possible because of the pesticide and herbicide residues. You can’t heal properly if the toxin load is high. If you can’t get these organically grown, make sure to wash – wash – wash them! Soaking them in a tub of fresh water with a little white vinegar for a few minutes, then rinsing well can help to detox them.
For information on the food that should be avoided, as well as a list of supplements and nutrients that support a healthy body and should be included in your health regime, see my page Diet and Cancer.
Thanks in part to http://foodforbreastcancer.com/ – written by Sarah Charles, herself a breast cancer survivor, and a woman of sharp intellect, Sarah has a mathematics degree from UCLA and is a Harvard graduate.
GET MY BEST TIPS on getting through breast cancer and preventing recurrences by signing up for my free e-newsletters and e-books on the right. You can also “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
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About Marnie Clark
Hi I'm Marnie Clark, breast cancer survivor, and breast cancer coach. I have 20+ years of experience in natural medicine. In 2004/05 I battled breast cancer myself. You can see more about my journey on my page Breast Cancer Diary.
I've been healthy and recurrence-free since 2004 and in 2012 I became a Breast Cancer Coach because I became aware of the fact that whilst there is now a wealth of information on the Internet, much of it is confusing, conflicting, and sometimes just wrong!
Why should you work with me? Because:
(1) You don't want to go through this journey alone, feeling unempowered, frightened or just plain
clueless about what to do to help yourself.
(2) You will have someone working tirelessly on your behalf, putting together a healing plan for
you so you don’t have to lose your precious energy researching what food you should eat,
what supplements you should take, and what other things you can do that will give you the
best chances for survival. Instead you can spend that time resting, meditating, healing.
(3) You will learn what questions to ask your doctor (and have someone to turn to for the
questions they can't or won't answer).
(4) You will be armed with the tools and strategies you will need to get through the therapies you
choose so you can make your body hostile terrain for cancer.
You can also “like” me on Facebook (Marnie Clark, Breast Health Coach) to get my inspirational snippets, news and updates. I promise to do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
