From the Summer 2010 issue of City of Hope's Restore publication: "Exercise has significant benefits for cancer patients, studies show. Workouts can strengthen immune function, increase appetite and help manage nausea and fatigue. Exercise also reduces the risk for developing certain cancers, decreases the likelihood of recurrence and, in some cases, improves survival rates . . . As for colorectal cancer, patients who regularly exercised after completing treatment for the disease had up to 50 percent lower risk of recurrence and death, according to the National Cancer Institute."
It's hard, but if this isn't motivation to exercise, I don't know what is. I read this and then got on the treadmill. I felt the stress melting away and I felt much more centered the rest of the day.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
"D Gets an 'A'"
From the July 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine: "D Gets an 'A'...at least when it comes to preventing colon cancer. In a huge study - 520,000 volunteers in 10 European countries - those with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 40 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer than people with the lowest levels. It's hard to get enough D from diet alone, so many experts now advise a daily supplement of 1,000 IU."
Could be a fad...but I know I'm taking 5,000 IU daily, prescribed by the homeopath.
Could be a fad...but I know I'm taking 5,000 IU daily, prescribed by the homeopath.
Something I Thought I'd Never Do
We had a big big day today. Today we celebrated Ryan, Kylie, and Jane's 6th birthday at . . . CHUCK E. CHEESE!!!! Yes, something I thought I would never do, we did. I let each of the kids invite three friends who were their special guests at Chuck E. Cheese so there were 12 kids plus a few siblings and a fine time was had by all. I must say that going to Chuck E. Cheese for your own child's birthday party is totally different than going there as a guest for someone elses. I found so much joy just by watching my kids have such a great time. The pure exultation on their faces was truly genuine. They felt so special being the birthday boy and girls and it was worth every second. At times I had to take a step back and take it all in with such appreciation for the moment.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Interesting Stuff
I had two interesting appointments with the homeopath last week. On Wednesday, I saw Vanessa for NET (neuroemotional technique). At the risk of unjustly and erroneously describing exactly what NET is and the theory behind it, here is the Wikipedia definition:
"NET is a psychotherapeutic/chiropractic system that combines a number of techniques and principles from traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic and applied kinesiology. It is an holistic approach to well-being focusing on imbalances in the structure of the skeletomuscular system, unresolved 'negative emotional blocks,' toxins in the body and deficiencies in nutrition. NET describes negative emotions as being stored in the body and claims to help resolve them. Research: When used to treat emotional trauma in a group of seven cancer patients, improvements of up to 88% were shown in symptom reduction."
So, here's what happened. Vanessa pushed on various pressure points in my wrists while she tested the strength in my straightened left arm. By seeing where I was weak, Vanessa could tell what negative emotions my cells were retaining which, in turn, were creating blocks in healing. She could tell at what age an incident created those negative emotions and she asked me what happened at that particular age that could have contributed to that emotion. Then after discussing the incident, she cleared the block by manipulating certain pressure points in my back. It wasn't therapy, she just listened to my description of the event so that she could clear the block. According to Vanessa, I was carrying around an overwhelming amount of guilt, a lot of humiliation and significant sadness.
As always, I went to the appointment with an open mind, leaving any judgement outside the office door. I BELIEVE that there are things I can do better in order to heal and I will do whatever it takes to be around to watch my kids grow up. Anyway, I was fairly astonished by the results. As I drove home from the appointment I was feeling very deflated, but in a good way. I felt very emotional from remembering painful memories, but I had a sense of relief. By the time I got home, I felt very much at peace. It seemed as though all my little aches and pains had disappeared and I had a lot of energy, which was amazing with the constant exhaustion I've been feeling lately. Maybe I just needed a good old-fashioned cry...who knows... But whatever happened that day, it was a good thing, something I needed to have happen in my human experience. I'm grateful for that.
The other appointment I had with the homeopath was just a lot of injections in the big scar on the front of my torso and a few other scars too. Apparently the injections were to help the energy flow through my skin. That's about all I know about that.
In other news, I've been challenging myself lately to only eat what comes from the earth, excluding any meat or dairy products of course. But my focus is to eliminate all processed food, which means giving up pretzels and tortilla chips and all sweet stuff. Basically all I've been eating are vegetables, fruit, whole grains and nuts. It's not that hard. I kind of miss the pretzels though.
"NET is a psychotherapeutic/chiropractic system that combines a number of techniques and principles from traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic and applied kinesiology. It is an holistic approach to well-being focusing on imbalances in the structure of the skeletomuscular system, unresolved 'negative emotional blocks,' toxins in the body and deficiencies in nutrition. NET describes negative emotions as being stored in the body and claims to help resolve them. Research: When used to treat emotional trauma in a group of seven cancer patients, improvements of up to 88% were shown in symptom reduction."
So, here's what happened. Vanessa pushed on various pressure points in my wrists while she tested the strength in my straightened left arm. By seeing where I was weak, Vanessa could tell what negative emotions my cells were retaining which, in turn, were creating blocks in healing. She could tell at what age an incident created those negative emotions and she asked me what happened at that particular age that could have contributed to that emotion. Then after discussing the incident, she cleared the block by manipulating certain pressure points in my back. It wasn't therapy, she just listened to my description of the event so that she could clear the block. According to Vanessa, I was carrying around an overwhelming amount of guilt, a lot of humiliation and significant sadness.
As always, I went to the appointment with an open mind, leaving any judgement outside the office door. I BELIEVE that there are things I can do better in order to heal and I will do whatever it takes to be around to watch my kids grow up. Anyway, I was fairly astonished by the results. As I drove home from the appointment I was feeling very deflated, but in a good way. I felt very emotional from remembering painful memories, but I had a sense of relief. By the time I got home, I felt very much at peace. It seemed as though all my little aches and pains had disappeared and I had a lot of energy, which was amazing with the constant exhaustion I've been feeling lately. Maybe I just needed a good old-fashioned cry...who knows... But whatever happened that day, it was a good thing, something I needed to have happen in my human experience. I'm grateful for that.
The other appointment I had with the homeopath was just a lot of injections in the big scar on the front of my torso and a few other scars too. Apparently the injections were to help the energy flow through my skin. That's about all I know about that.
In other news, I've been challenging myself lately to only eat what comes from the earth, excluding any meat or dairy products of course. But my focus is to eliminate all processed food, which means giving up pretzels and tortilla chips and all sweet stuff. Basically all I've been eating are vegetables, fruit, whole grains and nuts. It's not that hard. I kind of miss the pretzels though.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
June Has Been a Big Month for the Jenkins Family
I've been very tired lately. I had a cold that lingered longer than a cold should but I think that's pretty much to be expected. I finally started feeling better over the weekend, just in time for the kids' 6th birthday, which was great! We had the family over for swimming, pizza, salad and cake and the kids loved every minute of it.
I saw Dr. McNamara two weeks ago and he said my white blood cells, hemoglobin, etc. are all pretty low, a side effect of all the therapies and the surgery. It's a good reminder that even though it's been a while since the last round of chemo, my body is still in recovery. When I'm feeling really energetic, I have a tendency to run myself ragged. But when I'm exhausted just getting out of bed in the morning, I'm a little easier on myself. So, Dr. McNamara ordered a PET scan to be done in August. I've been taking my supplements exactly as directed by the alternative doctor and I have upcoming appointments for work on my scars (improve energy flow) and something called neuroemotional technique (NET). Both of those appointments should be very interesting. I'm very open-minded when it comes to all of the alternative therapies, but I'm curious to see what the results will be (if any at all). Just FYI about supplements, lately I've been reading over and over again in various studies and publications that just about everyone is vitamin D3 deficient. I spend A LOT of time in the sun and still I was severely deficient according to blood tests. It might be a good idea to check out a D3 supplement in your local vitamin store...it seems to be pretty important in preventing cancer, even Dr. Oz thinks so! Another important bit of information for those working graveyard shifts (or in my world its called "morning watch"), it seems vitamin D3 and Melatonin were very much lacking in those who work that shift. They are also lacking in cancer patients...hmmm... I worked at least 6 years on morning watch. A connection????
Lately, I've been following two survivor stories I heard about through friends. I hope you will visit the following Caring Bridge sites and say a prayer for these people. One, Omar Rodriguez, is a colon cancer survivor and the other, Tracy Ferguson, is a lymphoma survivor. Both of these people are young with small children. Here are the links:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/omarrodriguez
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tracyferguson
I remain grateful for every single day. As I have read so many other cancer survivor stories, I realize that I am a walking miracle, attributeable to the prayers I have received from each and every one of you. I know I've said it before but from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!
I saw Dr. McNamara two weeks ago and he said my white blood cells, hemoglobin, etc. are all pretty low, a side effect of all the therapies and the surgery. It's a good reminder that even though it's been a while since the last round of chemo, my body is still in recovery. When I'm feeling really energetic, I have a tendency to run myself ragged. But when I'm exhausted just getting out of bed in the morning, I'm a little easier on myself. So, Dr. McNamara ordered a PET scan to be done in August. I've been taking my supplements exactly as directed by the alternative doctor and I have upcoming appointments for work on my scars (improve energy flow) and something called neuroemotional technique (NET). Both of those appointments should be very interesting. I'm very open-minded when it comes to all of the alternative therapies, but I'm curious to see what the results will be (if any at all). Just FYI about supplements, lately I've been reading over and over again in various studies and publications that just about everyone is vitamin D3 deficient. I spend A LOT of time in the sun and still I was severely deficient according to blood tests. It might be a good idea to check out a D3 supplement in your local vitamin store...it seems to be pretty important in preventing cancer, even Dr. Oz thinks so! Another important bit of information for those working graveyard shifts (or in my world its called "morning watch"), it seems vitamin D3 and Melatonin were very much lacking in those who work that shift. They are also lacking in cancer patients...hmmm... I worked at least 6 years on morning watch. A connection????
Lately, I've been following two survivor stories I heard about through friends. I hope you will visit the following Caring Bridge sites and say a prayer for these people. One, Omar Rodriguez, is a colon cancer survivor and the other, Tracy Ferguson, is a lymphoma survivor. Both of these people are young with small children. Here are the links:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/omarrodriguez
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tracyferguson
I remain grateful for every single day. As I have read so many other cancer survivor stories, I realize that I am a walking miracle, attributeable to the prayers I have received from each and every one of you. I know I've said it before but from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!
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