Please Spare Us The Ribs

I can't do as good a job as the others did in showing the complete inanity and ignorance in the latest popular press headlines shouting "Red Meat'll Kill Ya" so I will take the liberty of linking to two bloggers whom I admire!

Junkfood Science: More Reindeer Games

Dr. Michael Eades: Meat and Mortality

Please take the time to read these blogs carefully. Your health could depend on it!

Can I Get a High Five?

Seems that Heidi "Kimmer" Diaz' attempt to gum up the works in the class action lawsuit with her frivolous bankruptcy filing has gone for naught.

The US Bankruptcy Court has DISMISSED the Diaz Case!

Way to go, John!

Who Do You Believe?

Most nutrition science tells us that to prevent or treat cancer, we should include plenty of dark green leafy & cruciferous vegetables, red and purple fruits and berries, citrus, whole grains, and minimize red meats.

What do most of those foods listed above have in common (except red meat)?

If you're a low carber, you know.  It's CARBS.  Dirty 4 letter word.

A Nobel Laureate from years ago, a Dr. Otto Warburg discovered the very important fact that cancer cells LOVE sugar.  Glucose to be exact.  

"Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar. All normal body cells meet their energy needs by respiration of oxygen, whereas cancer cells meet their energy needs in great part by fermentation. All normal body cells are thus obligate aerobes, whereas all cancer cells are partial anaerobes. From the standpoint of the physics and chemistry of life this difference between normal and cancer cells is so great that one can scarcely picture a greater difference. Oxygen gas, the donor of energy in plants and animals is dethroned in the cancer cells and replaced by an energy yielding reaction of the lowest living forms, namely, a fermentation of glucose."  partial quote:  The Prime Cause and Prevention of Cancer, (Revised Lindau Lecture) By OTTO WARBURG (Director, Max Planck Institute for Cell Physiology, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany) English Edition by DEAN BURK, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

Now, as I stated in my previous post, I have long believed that a low carb, very low carb or even zero carb WOE is beneficial.  However, it seems perilous to ignore documented evidence that there are important phytochemicals and certain substances in spices and herbs that can indeed fight cancer or better yet, prevent it from taking hold in one's body.

So what do I believe?  How do I handle what could be literally a life-or-death decision as to my food intake from here on out?  

For now (and subject to change with further research) I'm eating as low carb as possible each day, and adding a plethora of antioxidants, angiogenesis inhibitors and other supplements to my diet.  

A brief list of these includes:

Beta glucans extract (from shiitake mushrooms) Red Lightening drink mix (acai, noni, mangosteen, pomegranant and goji) KyoGreen Harvest Blend (zillions of good things in a green drink) folic acid, turmeric, fresh garlic every day, as much as I can stand, curry powder, organic flax oil, organic cottage cheese (per Budwig protocol), milk thistle, fish oil, resveratrol and pynogenol, drinking lots of water and green tea, etc.

Foods are organic, meats are grass-fed and organic if possible. I should buy stock at the local health foods store :-)

Treatment update: I saw an oncologist today, and I should now be on the fast track for staging of the tumor and treatment to begin soon. We are seriously considering Cleveland Clinic for treatment if it turns out that chemo and radiation are clearly going to be the way to go. More on that later.

(Photo credit: istockphoto.com)

ZC vs The Big C

So, I got some news this week that nobody on earth wants to hear:

"Your cancer is back".

It's been a couple months since my last entry (I know....bad bad blogger) so I'll bring this up to date now.

Two years ago I was found to have a rare and rather aggressive form of colorectal cancer.  But after a couple of biopsies, they seemed to have gotten it all and one year ago this month, I was declared NED at the James Cancer Hospital at OSU.  

Uh....errrr....well.....perhaps they missed something.  Or not.  Who really knows?  I'm not wasting energy on that now.  

So, anyhoo, here I am again.  This time I had symptoms and wasted no time getting my hiney (literally, lol) to the doctor for testing.   It's a tumor, a small but messy one.  I'll be headed in for more testing (to determine staging and lymph node involvement etc) and then picking an oncologist.  

I'm upset, sure, but surprisingly at peace.  I had a "dry run" two years ago, and I've learned so much about this particular cancer.  It's true:  knowledge is empowerment.  

Since this is a diet blog first and foremost, I'm going to mention that for about 5 weeks now I've been eating as few carbs as possible.  This WOE is called VLC or ZC for Very Low Carb and Zero Carb.  

You might ask why?

I was amazed to find a few months ago, the discovery by Dr. Otto Warburg that cancer feeds on sugar.

If you are a total brainiac, here's a link for you

If you prefer a shorter, easier to read and understand synopsis, try this one.

Considering my Metabolic Syndrome and concurrent hyperinsulinemia (insulin resistance) and knowing that my body already has a blood sugar malfunction, it only makes sense that continuing to consume as few carbs as possible makes the most sense for me now.  ALL carbs convert to glucose and then triglycerides.   The last thing I need is to give this cancer what it really wants:  glucose!  

What my daily diet looks like now:

B:  usually 2 eggs and bacon.  Sometimes leftover roast beef or steak.

L:  More steak usually.  Yes, I eat the fat. 

D:  Roast beef, steak or turkey.  Chicken in any form has totally lost it's luster for me lately.

I have discovered pemmican, too.  I like it a lot!  

Before you say "Egad, woman!!  Don't you know red meat causes cancer??" please do some research.  Make it unbiased research, please.  Read Gary Taubes "Good Calories Bad Calories", Dr. Barry Groves "Trick and Treat" and some of the information on these blogs before you declare I've lost my mind:

http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm 

http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2006/05/how-about-zero-carb-carniverous-diet.html

http://drbass.com/stefansson1.html

In addition, I started 2 weeks ago on a course of Essiac, and take two glasses daily of KyoGreen Harvest Blend drink.  I also drink 2 ounces daily of a special Acai drink, and have added turmeric to the many other supplements I take daily.  Just covering all bases if I can.

Will I do this exclusively forever?  Not likely.  In fact who knows what I'll feel like eating while on chemo!!  But for now, this is the path I've chosen.  I hope it helps.

Happy New Year, Ya'll!

Ok, ok. So I've been watching too much Paula Deen on TV over the holidays.

Just thought I'd pop in with a New Year's update. Not a lot new on the homefront these days other than the shiny new calendars on the walls. Don't you love new calendars? My faves are the ones with babies on them, or puppies.

The weight loss/low carb thing is going slowly. Having read the Diet Cure by Julia Ross just before Christmas, I'm concentrating on healing my metabolism these days far more than trying to lose at any cost. I'm eating a few more carbs than I was. 30-50 a day average. Dr. Broda Barnes the great thyroid researcher and doctor recommended higher carbs for his hypothyroid/Hashimoto's patients, so that's what I'm doing. I'm actually eating more than I did the past year.

A couple months ago, I discovered that my beloved coffee was making my GERD worse! I gave up coffee and voila, hardly any reflux or heartburn issues since the second day. If you have GERD, you may want to consider giving up coffee. I've discovered the joys of a nice cup of Vanilla Chai tea in the morning, with a bit of heavy cream and stevia.

For many of us, New Year's means New Year's Resolutions. My only New Year's Resolution is not to have any resolutions :-) I decided to begin changing my life and health for the better 2 years ago after a brush with cancer. I'm still on that same path: seeking wellness in whatever ways I can and trying to reverse the damage all my years of uneducated eating have wreaked on my poor body.

For those following the Kimkins debacle, here is an excellent year-end wrap up that bears repeating:
2008: A Kimkins Year in Review
As always, great job, Cleo!

One very interesting diet-related topic I want to share. Did you hear about the lady doctor in Fla. who gave her Alzheimer's husband MCT oil which began immediately correcting his cognitive deficits?

My husband was beginning to show some alarming signs of forgetfulness this fall and winter. Putting his clothing away in the hallway coat closet, losing keys nearly every day, misplacing his wallet, etc. Having trouble remembering dates and plans we had just talked about a day or so ago. So I bought him some MCT oil and he has been using it daily since Mid December. It really has made a difference!

I've been using regular virgin coconut oil myself for going on 2 years now for many reasons. But this was the first time I'd heard of the medium chain triglycerides actually helping to diminish signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. I hope the medical community will pay close attention to this new evidence. Alzheimer's is a horrid disease. We know firsthand: my mother in law died from it 2 years ago.

Hopefully I'll be back soon crowing about my new low weight on the scale. But for now, I'm eating healthfully and trying hard to be patient.

Hooray for Doctors like William Davis!

And a thanks is in order to Nancy LC on Active Low Carber forum for reminding me what an excellent blog he has.

So I'm starting this week by posting my last labs:
Total Cholesterol = 377
HDL = 53
LDL = 281
Trig = 214
Ratio: 7.11

This is really a wake-up call for me. My cholesterol labs have been horrid for years, so this isn't a huge shock or anything. I was on Lipitor for years. They switched me to Vytorin for a while when I complained that I hurt all over and besides my numbers still weren't good. Finally I did the research for myself and found out about the statin scam being perpetrated on our country by the pharmaceutical industry and it's largely cooperative handmaidens, our family doctors.

My regular physician is just horrified that I continue to flaunt death in the face by not taking at least Crestor, which in her opinion "may save my life".

Oh, and while I'm at it, let me mention that none of my doctors in 25 years or so has ever optimized my thyroid. But I digress.....

The reason these last numbers are a wake-up call is because:

1) I really did think that low carbing would cure my cholesterol issues
2) I now know that high triglycerides are more a risk marker for heart disease than high LDL.
3) I also know that hypothyroidism leads to poor blood lipids. A connection, that, I'm very sorry to say none of my doctors ever pointed out or seemed to acknowledge.

And with all this in mind, it's more proof that my Metabolic Syndrome is not under control yet.

So I'm pulling out all the stops.

Starting this week, I'm taking 5600 mg of Carlson fish oil daily. 500 mg Slo-Niacin (and upping that to 1000 mg daily starting today hoping the flushing doesn't drive me nuts). 8000 mg of Vitamin D3 and all this is in addition to the supplements I have already been taking.

I'm having my hormone doctor manage my thyroid from now on. SHE GETS IT!!! I had a very nice visit with her the other day and she acknowledged that there is certainly a correlation between my non-optimized thyroid labs and my poor blood lipids. She wrote me a prescription for 60mg of Armour to be taken twice a day. THANK YOU, Dr. Glaser.

I'm hoping that all of this will also lead to some victories in my weight loss battle, too.

What do you say....

When you've got mucha nothin' to say?

Ah well, let's give it a try anyway. It's been a while.

First of all, it's been an interesting year for those following the Kimkins saga. We've just passed the first anniversary of the filing of the lawsuit against Heidi Diaz for fraud. She recently filed a countersuit that has been commented on in several of my friend's blogs in the Anti-KK blogosphere.

My personal dieting journey hasn't been real successful by some standards, but at least I got my labs back this week that show that I seem to be avoiding Type II Diabetes - can I hear an AMEN?! My metabolic resistance is resisting arrest, sad to say.

I haven't lost any more weight, but at least I haven't gained any back, either. This is going on record as the world's longest low carb stall in history. I can thank all the yo-yo starvation dieting I've done since I was about 14 for this, apparently. Kimkins was the icing on the cake, but I know time and good healthy habits and eating will heal my broken metabolism.

I'm now following Dr. William Davis' HeartScan blog and trying to incorporate some of his nutritional and supplement advice. I'm going to be adding a lot more fish oil, start back on niacin therapy, and upping my Vitamin D3 and get some more testing done next week.

On a sad note, Jimmy Moore's brother Kevin passed on this week. My thoughts and prayers are with them at this sad time.

I'm going to be hooking up this evening with some buds from Low Carb Friends forum for dinner. That should be fun. If I don't forget my camera, I may even have some photos to post soon.

That's all for now. (told ya!)