Following The Cancer Trail

Attended a seminar earlier this week in Sydney, presented by a biochemist and a naturopath. It was an absolutely informative and in depth look at the latest natural products available to support people suffering from cancer, and especially the often horrendous side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The information was extremely well researched, drawing on mainstream journals and peer reviewed material, and highly relevant for the times. Some excellent, well documented case histories on breast cancer and prostate cancer were discussed, and the appropriate supporting therapies outlined.

I attended because as a practitioner in this arena, in terms of legal restrictions, it can be very frustrating when clients ask us for help. There is a great deal of misinformation within mainstream medicine, about the value of complementary therapies for people with cancer, so it was very re-assuring to hear such a professional presentation.

As part of the new direction I have taken with thermal imaging, in my practise, I'm now seeing a lot more cancer cases, and being exposed to the full gamut of mainstream treatment that people experience, and it's distressing to see what they have to endure, in terms of side effects, to put it mildly!

I recently had the opportunity to experience first hand the journey one of my clients has experienced this past 2 months, as she asked me to be her support person. I attended every single appointment with her, from the moment the results of scans and biopsies were delivered by her GP, through surgery, drain removal, post op infection, and oncology consults, to her decision this week, NOT to go down the chemotherapy & radiation route.

It's been educational to sit and listen to the varied opinions on the use of natural therapies; the wide disparity of benefits supposedly to be gained from choosing the chemotherapy route; and most amazing has been the pressure she has endured from the medical team to commit to their options. I can only imagine what a lonely and confusing road it must be for those who have no support person, let alone someone willing and able to demystify the endless jargon and explain things more clearly. Little wonder so many capitulate and immediately embark on the treatment, without time to thoroughly research ALL their options. The politics of fear are well and truly at work.

So, the presentation was a breath of fresh air, and a timely reminder that there IS a place for integrative therapies to support people suffering from cancer. The facts are out there, the research supports it, and now it's time to spread the word !

Also, as part of my ongoing research, I stumbled onto a 4 part video presentation on You Tube, of a father giving a presentation to a US Cancer Congress, in 2007, about how he dealt with a terminal neuroblastoma diagnosis of his 3 yr old son. It's an extremely powerful demonstration of what can be achieved, within the system, utilising complementary therapies, and well worth spending 15 minutes or so, to watch the 4 clips. The family are from the UK. The law prevents parents from refusing chemotherapy for a child in the UK, citing abuse, and can forcibly remove the child, and administer the treatment. Between a rock and a hard place, I say ! Click here to watch http://www.bobbysfund.org/videos.htm

I personally found Bobby's story extremely inspiring, because it's very easy to be discouraged to delve into this arena, by the political constraints we all work under, but it's such an important field of work. As a society we are not winning the cancer game at all, so perhaps it's time to develop some new rules :-)

The Regulatory Climate

To appreciate the challenges we face, as complementary practitioners, are you aware that under current legislation, passed in August 2008, by the NSW Govt, designed to give greater powers to the Health Complaints Tribunal to take disciplinary action against 'unregistered health practitioners ' http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/2008/20080104_00.html , it is now an offence to make a claim to diagnose, treat or offer ANY advice regarding cancer treatment ?

These regulations cover naturopaths, herbalists, homeopaths, massage therapists, Reiki therapists, counsellors and psychotherapists. Interestingly enough, many of these disciplines now require a university degree to qualify, yet remain classified as 'unregistered' by the Government of the day !

Whilst I totally support the need to weed out unethical, untrained and opportunistic people, who prey on individuals, at a time of great vulnerability, I fear the legislation runs the risk of 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater', as it now currently stands.

What really needs to be happening here, is for the Government to create a regulatory model, within the existing health care matrix, that would allow us to be recognised for the contributions we make. There is much scope to increase the level of training and have the disciplines far more integrated.

The reality however, is that we are an 'invisible' but integral part of the health care model here in Australia, but our hands and our lips are tied, and we are forced to operate in a somewhat farcical situation of using semantics, afraid to even utter the dreaded 'C' word, let alone be seen to offer support. It's a climate that smacks of suppression of information, and intimidation, for being seen to be outside the accepted mainstream medical paradigms. Our advertising, both electronic, written and verbal is subject to strict monitoring by bodies completely outside the complementary health realm, which potentially makes for a biased verdict, and we are often subject to regular smear campaigns within the media. Despite this, it's estimated 1 in 3 consultations every day is with a complementary health practitioner, so something must be working!

It really is time to change the situation, but people will need to make them selves heard, at the highest levels. YOU need to demand the right to have free access to every option available for the treatment of cancer. Change must come from within.

If you think this blog might be of interest to a friend or loved one, please pass the link along!

To share your thoughts on this topic, or gather further information re the material covered, or request a copy of supporting mainstream research documents on the benefits of antioxidants during chemotherapy, please email me at info@thermalscans.com.au or call 02 6655 9400

In Good Health
Patricia

What Are We REALLY Eating?

As much as I prefer to operate from a space of optimism at all times, as a health practitioner, I also have the less enviable task, of being the bearer of information that not everyone wants to hear.

With so much gloom & doom currently permeating the news, it can sometimes seem as if there is nothing we can do as individuals, but in this case I believe the voice of the consumer needs to be heard. This is an issue I have felt strongly about for many years, and believe has been largely ignored by government agencies around the world.

With so much focus on the need for cleaning up and protecting our fragile global environment, I was disturbed to read an article this morning, with the headline :

Range of Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals Found in Fish

about the fact that residues of pharmaceutical medicines, and chemicals used in personal health care products, are being found in fish. Whilst the story focused on areas within the US, I have no doubt the problem exists both globally, and right here on our own doorstep.

It highlighted the problem of what happens when people flush unused medication down the toilet, or dump it in the rubbish bin, as well as the issue of un-metabolised residues of pharmaceuticals that people take and then excrete. Out of sight, out of mind! Waste water treatment plants are not managing to prevent a wide array of substances from entering our ground water,and ultimately, our food chain. Just think of how many people are on the Pill for starters!

On the list of suspected contributors to the escalating epidemic of breast cancer, is environmental contamination of food and water, so this situation has the potential to affect us all in some way !

One can only wonder what is REALLY happening within our food chain worldwide, when you start to consider the scope of the problem.

The challenge for each one of us lies in becoming more informed about where our food is sourced from; more responsible about the way we dispose of medicines; more aware of the connectedness of our society to our environment and most of all, be willing to stand up and ask the hard questions of our governing bodies. By our silence we condone nothing changing.

Click here to read the article http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/03/25-10

Send me your thoughts and ideas about how we might raise awareness of this very real problem at totalhealthoptions@bigpond.com.au

In Good Health
Patricia

Early Act - Lets Follow Suit!

In the US yesterday, breast cancer survivor, and congresswoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz introduced a bill, being called the Early Act, that would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a national campaign to boost awareness among women younger than 40, including encouraging early detection.

She called for greater awareness of breast cancer among younger women, and in revealing her own battle with breast cancer she said, " It is my hope that by sharing my story, we will pass the (bill) and further reduce the death rate of young women diagnosed with breast cancer." "We have to ensure that every young woman can rely on more than just luck."

Younger Women Need Greater Awareness

Here in Australia, we have an appalling lack of knowledge and awareness in younger women, of the numerous factors potentially associated with developing breast cancer, and an even greater lack of knowledge that there are ways to monitor ongoing breast health, other than just through the use of mammograms.

Within the medical fraternity it's well known that mammograms are not particularly effective on women under 40, due to density of breast tissue. What is quite amazing is that no one seems to appreciate the value of Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging ( DITI ) as a tool for early detection of changes in breast tissue, in younger women, and the message needs to get out!

Women need to start spreading the word, at a grassroots level, about the value of DITI, and the bonus that it's non-invasive, painless and RADIATION free!

With more women now entering politics at the highest levels of office, here in Australia, surely it's time to take this message to them, and see if we can also effect change, and create our very own 'Early Act' and get DITI on the map!

For further information visit www.thermalscans.com.au

In Good Health
Patricia

Early Detection Equals Early Intervention

Breast cancer doesn't discriminate we've discovered.

This past few years have been a grim one statistically speaking, for young, high profile women, the world over. Here in Australia in 2006 we came to terms with the loss of Belinda Emmett, wife of television personality Rove Mcmannus. An eight year fight that started with breast cancer at 21, saw her taken by age 32, with secondary camcers. A year earlier, the world was shocked to learn that 'our very own Kylie Minnogue' had been diagnosed with breast cancer, at the young age of 36. Then in mid 2008 we all watched the sad story of a young family torn apart by breast cancer, as Jane McGrath, the lovely wife of cricketer Glenn McGrath, also lost her long battle against the disease, at age 42.

Very early detection is a key component for survival, and one of the single greatest challenges for young women. The medical profession openly admits mammograms are not really useful for young women under 40 because their breast tissue is too dense, and misdiagnosis can be all too common.

A white coat is no guarantee they are right!

Seems both Kylie Minogue and US comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, experienced a misdiagnosis of breast cancer, and when Kylie was being interviewed on DeGeneres’ TV talk show, she took the opportunity to point out that just because ” someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments ”, there is no guarantee they are right!

She agreed 100% with Senator Hillary Clinton, who was also being interviewed, on the absolute importance of the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Like Kylie, this is a subject close to my heart too, because in my Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging clinic, where I offer alternative breast screening, I get to see first hand, the results of both early and late Thermal Imaging.

One of my clients came to me with a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer already in place, and was scheduled for surgery of the affected breast. She had decided she wanted to use Thermal Imaging for future monitoring, and so we scanned her breasts for an initial baseline image, for future comparisons.

Imagine my dismay when her results came back, indicating that in fact the cancer in the affected breast was so advanced, it was no longer even ‘thermally active’, however the ‘clear’ breast was showing serious early activity of inflammatory breast disease. The reporting Doctor made the observation that this was probably what her other breast would have looked like 8 -10 years previously, in the early stages of it’s cancer development. He was adamant her GP needed to be made aware of this fact.

The tragic thing here is that her mammogram of the previous week, had not given ANY indication of this new developing pre cancerous state, and in all reality probably won’t for another 6-8 years, by which time it will have likely developed into a full blown tumour.

The irony of this situation, is that the chemo and radiation she is scheduled to have post mastectomy, may well treat this new emerging problem, in the ‘clear breast’, but if she had been able to catch the first breast all those years ago, she may have been able to head this insidious disease off at the pass, with far less invasive measures than she she is now having to experience.

Moral of the story ? Pay attention to what Kylie was saying, and listen to your body and your own intuition, and investigate ALL the options for early diagnosis.

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging is an early warning tool

you can’t afford
NOT
to know about!

The medical profession openly admits mammograms are not really useful for young women under 40 because their breast tissue is too dense. Yet they fail to inform people of the alternatives now available, that are painless, non invasive and best of all, radiation free!

Visit www.thermalscans.com.au for further information.

In Good Health

Patricia