A general note about holistic health, menopause and breast health articles

Nothing can replace the advice of a pysician knowledgeable in menopause and preventive treatment of cancer and treatment, or a licensed holistic practitioner. Some menopause symptoms can be related to other, more serious conditions. For instance, before I became aware that the night sweats and hot flashes were due to the onset of menopause while I was still in my thirties, I was convinced that I had a cancerous tumor or a serious illness – these were symptoms of certain developing and present cancers. I also truly believed i was losing my mind. My doctor convinced me that i was too young to be going into menopause. guess i fooled him!

Your use of herbs and other natural means of easing your symptoms is something you have to be comfortable with and should be done with caution, under the supervision of a licensed herbalist/holistic practitioner, just as you should be knowledgeable about what chemicals your doctor suggests. Ask questions, get other opinions, and read the fine print. Do the research and make intelligent choices. I would no sooner pop a chemical pill into my mouth on the advice of a doctor without researching and asking questions about possible side-effects or having to “wean” myself off a chemical, than I would run through town naked in January. On the other hand, I am totally confident and I am a proponent of the use of natural, standardized herbal treatments for the treatment of symptoms, and after doing research into possible side-effects, I may not choose a particular herb, but I do choose the natural route, as opposed to chemical use in the treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and symptoms.

This article is not a “prescription”, and this set of articles is to be used for informational purposes only. My experiences with, and my opinions of, any of these self-treatments will be specified where pertinent, but they are not recommendations that you follow my course of treatment or make the same decisions in treating menopausal symptoms, or on deciding on whether to go for a mammogram or not.

In other articles within this section, specifically in the case of mammograms, much of the information is valuable and is here to help you to understand how things work and how and when they don’t. Much of it is not made available to you unless you ask for it, as it is generally par for the course to be given orders to have an annual mammogram. Breast cancer is a serious and almost epidemic disease, striking about 1 in 9 women of all ages and walks of life. It shows no partiality and no mercy. There are many considerations in preventive care and treatment of breast cancer. Only you can decide on what course of action you wish to take, and remember that your life is what you’re deciding upon, whichever course you take faith in.

My personal Choices and Opinions...

About getting mammograms - not getting one is my choice but not my advice to you

I do not and don’t plan on getting a routine mammogram unless my self-exams or my doctor’s exams indicate that there might be a problem or a potential problem, and he explains it thoroughly. Then I will make the judgement as to whether I should or not. This is a matter of personal choice and a result of a lot of research on my part. There has never been an incident of cancers of any type on either side of my family, as far as we know, and as far back as we can research.

My limited, but valuable, personal research and experiences have left me with the personal opinion that it is not a good diagnostic tool, it is certainly not preventive, can’t tell me if I have breast cancer or not, has too many potentially serious problems attached to it, is not very accurate and is much less inferior for detection to your own self-exams. It’s just not for me or something I want to do automatically and base my trust upon. But should my doctor recommend one because he found a potential mass following a breast exam, I would definitely get it done right away to ascertain whether there is a mass or not. I can think about the results and a course of action, if one is needed, after that’s taken care of. If you do get mammograms and something is detected – insist on another mammogram, and be sure you are well-read and informed about your options.

You should do a self-exam at least monthly, I do mine whenever I’m in the bathtub. Might as well, I’m already there and naked. Once you get in the habit of frequent exams, it becomes second-nature. I do recommend that you follow your doctor’s orders to get an annual mammogram, or do the in-depth research necessary to decide otherwise. If there is cancer present in your family tree, or if a family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer, or if it has been a cause of death of any of your ancestors, get that mammogram and use any other preventive, diagnostic and protective tool available to you to identify possible risk and occurrence.

Information on herbal treatments are largely based on what I’ve tried for my symptoms, and what I’ve read about as other herbal means of easing specific menopausal symptoms. I have many books and resources on “green” healing, and refer to them often. I suffer from some, but not all of the symptoms of menopause, and some of the symptoms are not ever-present. Some of my symptoms aren’t even on the lists. Every woman is different, and her symptoms will probably be different in scope, rate of occurrence, and severity.

Information on mammograms and other subjects related to women’s health come from valid, published resources and research done in the U.S. and abroad. If an author’s opinion is stated, it will be stated that it is an opinion. My personal opinions and decisions are mine alone. You must make your own intelligent decisions about what you think about radiation testing and it’s ultimate value in the early identification of cancerous tumors. I may state what I believe and tell you what I do, but that, too, is not to be considered a diagnosis, treatment suggestion or medical advice. Those would be my own personal thoughts and decisions, based on my own intelligence and my own studies on the subjects.

Pay attention to your body, get to know what is normal and not normal, visit a licensed practitioner in holism or chinese medicine, and/or see a medical doctor. My advice here is to see all three if you can afford to do so, in order to consider all viewpoints, understand your body and cancer, understand the options and possibilities, and choose the course or combination of treatments that are best for you. Go for a complete physical from a physician and be sure that you are in good physical and mental health before attempting self-medicating or self-treatment of any type.

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