Last Monday a patient brought her JoViPak® lymphedema garment to our office hoping to find a way of relieving the pressure on her thenar eminence (the group of muscles between the base of the thumb and the wrist that helps articulate the thumb and parts of the palm). The modifications to the garment were not the norm and required a design conference between myself, our lead seamstress and our pattern-maker. It is unusual for a patient to come to our office in person with alteration issues but in this case I was grateful. We had an opportunity to work through the problem with her and I was able to share my survival guide with yet another breast cancer survivor.
Her story was so typical I felt compelled to pass it along to you. As you follow my questions and her answers, I’m sure you will figure out where I am going with this:
Q) Have you had a fall or other injury to your thumb and palm?
A) Neither. I have arthritis in my thumb.
Q) I see. Have you ever wondered why you have arthritis?
A) No.
Q) Have you noticed anything in particular that aggravates this condition?
A) Cold and pressure.
Q) Are any foods a contributing factor?
A) Not that I am aware of, however, I do have Celiac Disease. (A disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten from wheat and various other grains)
Q) Are there any other food intolerances or digestive issues that you are aware of?
A) I do have GERD, (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – popularly known as “acid reflux”) but it has gotten a lot better since I started taking The Purple Pill™. *
Q) Have you ever had an infection in your arm?
A) Oh yes, but now I take antibiotics on a regular basis.
Q) Do you know what antibiotics do to the good bacteria in your gut?
A) No.
Q) Do you know what a probiotic** is and how important colon health is to your immune system?
A) No.
My own breast cancer diagnosis was twenty years ago and even though I had four positive axillary lymph nodes, I refused chemotherapy. Instead, I elected to spend three weeks at a health clinic in California detoxing and learning how to eat. For several years prior to my diagnosis I lived on anti-acids without making any connection to the deleterious affects of my sugar-filled fast-food diet. Cancer is a hard lesson and it is certainly a life-altering experience. Once a cancer patient realizes cancer is not just about “the tumor” but more importantly, about “the terrain,” a healthy diet has a whole new relevance in their life.
When we are besieged by headaches, fatigue, allergies, asthma, indigestion, aches and pains or the raft of other annoying ailments for which we seek symptom relief, we should be grateful, as these are all messengers trying to tell us that something is going horribly wrong in our bodies. For some of us it may be the beginning stages of cancer, arthritis, diabetes or any of an entire laundry list of debilitating or even life-threatening diseases. No doubt you’ve heard the expression, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Doesn’t it make more sense to seek out the source of the problem? I personally would rather not do “the cancer thing” again and I’m grateful for the brave souls who have had the courage to write the books on disease prevention. Among my favorites are “Inflammation Syndrome” by Jack Challem and “Anti-Cancer” by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, Ph.D.
*”The Purple Pill™” is a trademarked descriptive for Nexium®, a brand name of esomeprazole magnesium. “The Purple Pill” and “Nexium” are trademarks of AstraZenica Corporation.
**”Probiotic” in this sense is a categoric noun used to describe dietary supplements containing live microorganisms such as lactobacillius, bifidus and certain yeasts that have a positive impact on intestinal health. Probiotics are often used to counteract the negative effects that chronic antibiotic use can have on the intestinal system.