CMN Hospital in Mexico - I spent 28 days here doing natural treatments...the place is amazing!
- Chemo sensitivity testing - I did not know about this until my second surgery was planned after a local recurrence happened. I wish I had done it the first time around. Fortunately, I was able to overnight part of my tumor tissue to Dr. Nagourney at Rational Therapeutics in CA. They observed the effects of all the FDA approved potential breast cancer chemo treatments in the lab setting. I was able to use the drugs the second time around that were most effective against my specific cancer in the lab and it did offer me piece of mind rather than leaning on statistics alone. It is controversial and not widely used, but I felt like it was better than continuing to shoot in the dark, especially since each drug has adverse affects on the healthy cells of the body. The company web site is: www.rational-t.com. You can apply to their foundation for financial assistance, which I did:)
-Genetic testing - I am in the process of sending a portion of my tumor tissue to Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, MA. They will test 315 genes to determine any predispositions or genetic issues. I did have the BRCA test which can be common in Breast Cancer, but I fortunately did not have that mutation, which is great news for my children. Once you have your tissue tested with this lab you are in a nationwide data base for specific treatments related to genetic issues which may be useful in the future. There is much to learn about genetics for sure! www.foundationmedicine.com
Here is a link to my music in case anyone wants to listen to some soothing selections: www.reverbnation.com/RachelPetzDowd
I wanted to share with those interested in the integrative things that I used to help me with the healing process. I believe prevention is key and I have learned so much about what to do to keep your chances low to develop any type of cancer. Everything from what we put on our face, our hair, into our body, radiation and chemical exposure, pesticides and hormones in our food, and what we clean our homes with is so important to be mindful of. Most importantly we live in a toxic world, so how we support and prepare our bodies to handle and eliminate toxins are key to keeping the immune system functioning properly. In addition, there is a huge mind/body and stress connection with all health issues and adrenal functions in the body. I have found solace in yoga, music and meditation and also developed personal ways to move and process past trauma out of my emotional body, mind and therefore physical body to be a key part of the healing process. Physical is only part of the issue every time the body breaks down with any type of disease. Feel free to explore the links that I have found to be really helpful and I have used all of these products myself and practitioners as well. I've also included a list of my great conventional doctors too:)
- I have a found a nice cancer fighting meditation/visualization technique on You Tube for bedtime or bath time. I have also recorded a few of my own that I will post here soon. This woman's voice is very relaxing as well...just search cancer healing meditation on You Tube. It's length is 45 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm_SVBCY58w.
- Southwest Technologies makes cold therapy products called Elastogel, which were so helpful to me to prevent neuropathy, nail discoloration and pain on my hands and feet and also protected my scalp. I would highly recommend this product and suggest anyone who is undergoing chemotherapy to try their affordable products. Some patients have not lost their hair with the cold therapy caps, but I did not get it until my 2nd treatment, so I did lose my hair, but I think they prevented future follicle damage and I kept wearing them for all my treatments. Armed with just a cooler on wheels and some dry ice, I was good to go and used 2 sets of their products while rotating them every 30 minutes: www.elastogel.com
-The Team at Mass General Hospital:
My oncologist, Dr. Stephen Isakoff has proven to be the best in his field of Chemotherapy and an ally. Honestly, I have been amazed with his time and patience to discuss my options, answer my many questions and even also refer to research and data that I have provided. He was open to cold therapy and has since started a trial along with me to prevent neuropathy and hair loss among patients for the first time on the infusion floor. He is interested in ways to minimize the side effects and encourages me to exercise and eat well. He is a proponent of mainstream medicine, obviously and is not versed in many of the integrative therapy or nutrition, but has demonstrated incredible interest in delving into the true research and openness to learn right along with all of us in the quest to cure cancer. I am so fortunate to have found him and truly appreciate his expertise and personal attention to me. Never have I felt rushed in an appptointment and he has spent hours talking with me, sending me emails and responding to texts. This is so unusual today and I am so thankful for him.
My incredible surgeon at Mass General Hospital had the job in the first 10 minutes after I met with her. Dr. Michele Gadd is capable, professional and yet very personable, which believe me is unusual for a surgeon. When I checked in for surgery she personally took me to many of the preparation stations and I will never forget the assurance everything was gong to be fine. When my bed was moved into the operating room, I saw a group of women waiting and she exclaimed "Girl Power" letting me know it was all women here for me. I was never scared and that was a huge gift to me, not to mention the obvious surgical results. My breasts look very close to what they used to look like with her nipple sparing procedure which she has been doing for many years. I would highly recommend her to anyone in my situation. She also did my second surgery when I had a local recurrence which may have been prevented in my mind if I had done the radiation, but I was not comfortable at the time.
The plastic surgeon came in half way thought the double mastectomy surgery and did his piece of the reconstruction. His name was Dr. Jason Cooper, and he has since moved to Jupiter, Florida but I would definitely travel if I ever needed anything else because we really liked him both personally and the proof of his talent was in the results. Another unusual surgeon who you could talk to for hours and even picture yourself having a beer with him and enjoying the conversation fully:) He uses a little more expensive sling product to keep it all in place and the implants brand he uses look very natural. If I get the guts I may post a picture here some day!
- My Naturopath doctor in Portsmouth, Dr. Ian Bier has been so supportive to keep my body as healthy as possible with the required nutrients to fight cancer and support my system through conventional treatments at Human Nature Natural Health. I was in his chair the day after my diagnosis and he is very versed in data and has such a loving manner about him. He specializes in many types of integrative health issues but oncology is close to his heart and many patients who use conventional treatments visit him for nutritional and therapeutic support. He is also an acupuncturist, and his practice takes into account blood type with the nutritional plan as well as the therapies that can be found on his web site: www.humannaturenaturalhealth.com He is located very close to Portsmouth Hospital.
- Beauty/Skincare - We have to be mindful of what we put on our face because many of the ingredients in beauty products are highly toxic to the system and the hormone levels. My favorite natural skincare line that has the most inclusive list of natural anti-aging ingredients that are very affordable and I have found and to be very effective! Here's a link to my Blackbox Cosmetics site that I have had for a couple of years and you can feel free to use my distributor discount there:
https://shop.blackboxcosmetics.com/RachelD4552
I read a book "Heal Breast Cancer Naturally" by Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, DC who healed her own breast cancer, although I personally would never do the Black Salve method on myself because it requires a lot of monitoring and looks quite painful! Still her web site is has some helpful info: www.BreastCancerConqueror.com
Another good site for those seeking alternative and sometimes controversial side of the cancer story is: www.thetruthaboutcancer.com. I was so fortunate to view these before deciding on my course of treatments, and I chose both conventional and alternative methods to hit it from all sides. I do believe some cancers can sometimes be cured naturally, but I had a very aggressive and difficult type and did not feel comfortable taking that chance myself, yet I do realize the key to long range remission is in healing the immune system for sure. One great survivor of over 8 years now who declined chemo and radiation for colon cancer has tips on diet, juicing and the is involved with many natural cancer prevention events and seminars. He is funny as well and straight to the point, so I can see why he is getting his message across so effectively: www.chrisbeatcancer.com
In addition, I like this woman's site because she also has some good alternative research and questions the effectiveness of mammography which was not at all effective for me and I believe may have been a trigger, causing the problem: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/Women/BreastCancer.aspx
I have also been contacted by another organization asking me to put their link to inform about a certain type of lung, heart and abdominal cancer caused from exposure to asbestos called Mesothelioma, after they viewed my site. Since my site is designed to inform and educate, I agreed: www.asbestos.com
I have two free favorite cancer fighting meditation/visualization techniques on You Tube for bedtime or bath time. If you search cancer healing meditation on You Tube. It's length is 45 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm_SVBCY58w.
There is a cell phone patch attachment "Matrix 2"I would recommend to reduce EMF's by Life Wave. It is available on Suzanne Somers' web site at a discount and does reduces microwave radiation by 95%! This is shown on a video if you google it with Morgan Freeman's voice if you want to see the metered difference. www.suzannesomers.com.
I will keep posting things that I found helpful...
-Genetic testing - I am in the process of sending a portion of my tumor tissue to Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, MA. They will test 315 genes to determine any predispositions or genetic issues. I did have the BRCA test which can be common in Breast Cancer, but I fortunately did not have that mutation, which is great news for my children. Once you have your tissue tested with this lab you are in a nationwide data base for specific treatments related to genetic issues which may be useful in the future. There is much to learn about genetics for sure! www.foundationmedicine.com
Here is a link to my music in case anyone wants to listen to some soothing selections: www.reverbnation.com/RachelPetzDowd
I wanted to share with those interested in the integrative things that I used to help me with the healing process. I believe prevention is key and I have learned so much about what to do to keep your chances low to develop any type of cancer. Everything from what we put on our face, our hair, into our body, radiation and chemical exposure, pesticides and hormones in our food, and what we clean our homes with is so important to be mindful of. Most importantly we live in a toxic world, so how we support and prepare our bodies to handle and eliminate toxins are key to keeping the immune system functioning properly. In addition, there is a huge mind/body and stress connection with all health issues and adrenal functions in the body. I have found solace in yoga, music and meditation and also developed personal ways to move and process past trauma out of my emotional body, mind and therefore physical body to be a key part of the healing process. Physical is only part of the issue every time the body breaks down with any type of disease. Feel free to explore the links that I have found to be really helpful and I have used all of these products myself and practitioners as well. I've also included a list of my great conventional doctors too:)
- I have a found a nice cancer fighting meditation/visualization technique on You Tube for bedtime or bath time. I have also recorded a few of my own that I will post here soon. This woman's voice is very relaxing as well...just search cancer healing meditation on You Tube. It's length is 45 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm_SVBCY58w.
- Southwest Technologies makes cold therapy products called Elastogel, which were so helpful to me to prevent neuropathy, nail discoloration and pain on my hands and feet and also protected my scalp. I would highly recommend this product and suggest anyone who is undergoing chemotherapy to try their affordable products. Some patients have not lost their hair with the cold therapy caps, but I did not get it until my 2nd treatment, so I did lose my hair, but I think they prevented future follicle damage and I kept wearing them for all my treatments. Armed with just a cooler on wheels and some dry ice, I was good to go and used 2 sets of their products while rotating them every 30 minutes: www.elastogel.com
-The Team at Mass General Hospital:
My oncologist, Dr. Stephen Isakoff has proven to be the best in his field of Chemotherapy and an ally. Honestly, I have been amazed with his time and patience to discuss my options, answer my many questions and even also refer to research and data that I have provided. He was open to cold therapy and has since started a trial along with me to prevent neuropathy and hair loss among patients for the first time on the infusion floor. He is interested in ways to minimize the side effects and encourages me to exercise and eat well. He is a proponent of mainstream medicine, obviously and is not versed in many of the integrative therapy or nutrition, but has demonstrated incredible interest in delving into the true research and openness to learn right along with all of us in the quest to cure cancer. I am so fortunate to have found him and truly appreciate his expertise and personal attention to me. Never have I felt rushed in an appptointment and he has spent hours talking with me, sending me emails and responding to texts. This is so unusual today and I am so thankful for him.
My incredible surgeon at Mass General Hospital had the job in the first 10 minutes after I met with her. Dr. Michele Gadd is capable, professional and yet very personable, which believe me is unusual for a surgeon. When I checked in for surgery she personally took me to many of the preparation stations and I will never forget the assurance everything was gong to be fine. When my bed was moved into the operating room, I saw a group of women waiting and she exclaimed "Girl Power" letting me know it was all women here for me. I was never scared and that was a huge gift to me, not to mention the obvious surgical results. My breasts look very close to what they used to look like with her nipple sparing procedure which she has been doing for many years. I would highly recommend her to anyone in my situation. She also did my second surgery when I had a local recurrence which may have been prevented in my mind if I had done the radiation, but I was not comfortable at the time.
The plastic surgeon came in half way thought the double mastectomy surgery and did his piece of the reconstruction. His name was Dr. Jason Cooper, and he has since moved to Jupiter, Florida but I would definitely travel if I ever needed anything else because we really liked him both personally and the proof of his talent was in the results. Another unusual surgeon who you could talk to for hours and even picture yourself having a beer with him and enjoying the conversation fully:) He uses a little more expensive sling product to keep it all in place and the implants brand he uses look very natural. If I get the guts I may post a picture here some day!
- My Naturopath doctor in Portsmouth, Dr. Ian Bier has been so supportive to keep my body as healthy as possible with the required nutrients to fight cancer and support my system through conventional treatments at Human Nature Natural Health. I was in his chair the day after my diagnosis and he is very versed in data and has such a loving manner about him. He specializes in many types of integrative health issues but oncology is close to his heart and many patients who use conventional treatments visit him for nutritional and therapeutic support. He is also an acupuncturist, and his practice takes into account blood type with the nutritional plan as well as the therapies that can be found on his web site: www.humannaturenaturalhealth.com He is located very close to Portsmouth Hospital.
- Beauty/Skincare - We have to be mindful of what we put on our face because many of the ingredients in beauty products are highly toxic to the system and the hormone levels. My favorite natural skincare line that has the most inclusive list of natural anti-aging ingredients that are very affordable and I have found and to be very effective! Here's a link to my Blackbox Cosmetics site that I have had for a couple of years and you can feel free to use my distributor discount there:
https://shop.blackboxcosmetics.com/RachelD4552
I read a book "Heal Breast Cancer Naturally" by Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, DC who healed her own breast cancer, although I personally would never do the Black Salve method on myself because it requires a lot of monitoring and looks quite painful! Still her web site is has some helpful info: www.BreastCancerConqueror.com
Another good site for those seeking alternative and sometimes controversial side of the cancer story is: www.thetruthaboutcancer.com. I was so fortunate to view these before deciding on my course of treatments, and I chose both conventional and alternative methods to hit it from all sides. I do believe some cancers can sometimes be cured naturally, but I had a very aggressive and difficult type and did not feel comfortable taking that chance myself, yet I do realize the key to long range remission is in healing the immune system for sure. One great survivor of over 8 years now who declined chemo and radiation for colon cancer has tips on diet, juicing and the is involved with many natural cancer prevention events and seminars. He is funny as well and straight to the point, so I can see why he is getting his message across so effectively: www.chrisbeatcancer.com
In addition, I like this woman's site because she also has some good alternative research and questions the effectiveness of mammography which was not at all effective for me and I believe may have been a trigger, causing the problem: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/Women/BreastCancer.aspx
I have also been contacted by another organization asking me to put their link to inform about a certain type of lung, heart and abdominal cancer caused from exposure to asbestos called Mesothelioma, after they viewed my site. Since my site is designed to inform and educate, I agreed: www.asbestos.com
I have two free favorite cancer fighting meditation/visualization techniques on You Tube for bedtime or bath time. If you search cancer healing meditation on You Tube. It's length is 45 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm_SVBCY58w.
There is a cell phone patch attachment "Matrix 2"I would recommend to reduce EMF's by Life Wave. It is available on Suzanne Somers' web site at a discount and does reduces microwave radiation by 95%! This is shown on a video if you google it with Morgan Freeman's voice if you want to see the metered difference. www.suzannesomers.com.
I will keep posting things that I found helpful...