Keeping Breasts Beautiful with Cancer Prevention by Thermographic Imaging.

Preventing breast cancer is possible.  The answer is under your nose & right in your city,

Check breasts annually with breast thermography!

 

but your Medical Doctor is likely not telling you about it because Mammograms are the fad and have been for many years…but unfortunately they are not preventative because they show calcifications/small lumps etc…abnormalities that are already present.  And they are not perfect, they can miss finding a lump.  Not too mention if you do have a lump it can squish it and possibly leak out cancer cells into your lymphatic system and lastly the radiation though small, is still radiation.

If I told you that there was a method that has been around for years and can 90% of the time find pre-cancerous conditions in your breasts, and that if found there is an actual dietary protocol & herbs to help get rid of the cancerous conditions and get your breast back to normal….what would you say??

Breast Thermography, otherwise known as Digital Infrared Imaging, is what it is called and has been done by professionals for years, but not in your hospital, in private offices across Canada.  They are read by a Radiologist and your breasts are rated from a TH-1 to a TH-5, with 1 being the most normal and 5 being the most abnormal.  The cost is $250.00 and can be claimed under some benefits plans as a “laboratory test”.

My purpose here is to show the differences between the diagnostic tests out there for breast cancer and show women why breast thermography is preventative compared to the other methods, that do also have there place.

Digital Infrared Imaging

Digital Infrared Imaging scans using a digital infrared imaging camera and a high speed computer and shows the function, the physiology, the metabolism of breast tissue.  It gives a picture of the functional activity in the breast tissue.  Usually abnormal cells are hotter because a malignant tissue mass is greedy.  To feed their rapid growth they produce a chemical that makes new blood vessels grow, this is called angiogenesis (“angio” means “blood vessel”, “genesis” means “creation”.).  A digital infrared imaging scan shows the heat difference between normal breast tissue and problem areas.  In scientific terms, the normal breast tissue acts as the control against which any hot areas are compared.

Not all malignancies are hyper-vascular, that is, a small number do not show increased blood supply.  Unless there are other signs, a thermography scan will not detect a non-hypervascular malignancy.

Which means you still need to feel your breasts monthly to make sure you do not feel any lumps since if there is a lump you would want to get other diagnostic tests done besides a thermography.

A Digital Infrared Imaging Scan provides the earliest evidence of breast disease.  The sensitivity rate is 90%.  This means in 90% of the cases, the scan accurately indicates a presence or absence of disease.  Digital infrared imaging has a 10% false positive rate; in 10% of the cases the results may suggest disease where there is none.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound uses sound waves aimed at breast tissue.  The sound echoes back when it encounters a mass.  Sent to a computer, the echo waves show the shape and density of the mass.  When strict criteria are used, ultrasound can distinguish between a simple benign cyst and other masses.

A negative ultrasound does not mean there is not a breast mass.  There may be a mass, but if it has the same density as other breast tissue, no echo is produced.

Ultrasound is not a screening method.  It is a follow-up diagnostic tool to explore the shape and edges of a breast mass which suggest whether the mass is benign or malignant.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Like ultrasound, MRI is not a screening method but a follow-up diagnostic tool, MRI is being studied for its ability to distinguish between benign and malignant tissue masses, and to help physicians and the patient to decide whether a lumpectomy or mastectomy should be done.  MRI’s area also used to examine breast implants to see if they are leaking.  While ultrasound and mammography can only visualize the shell of the breast implant, MRI can tell if there is leakage.

MRI is not a screening method.  It is a follow-up diagnostic tool useful for breast implants.  Its role in breast disease and breast cancer is still being studied.

Mammography

Mammograms show the physical anatomy or structure of the breast.  When an x-ray encounters a mass, it does not pass through as easily as it does through normal breast tissue so the mass shows up as a white area on the x-ray.  Medical guidelines recommend a baseline mammogram so physicians can compare the first one with later ones.  When a mass is found, an ultrasound may be done to get more information about the size and shape because the mass could be a dense cyst.  At this stage a needle biopsy may be recommended.

Mammograms work best for soft post-menopausal breast tissue, and for slow-growing tumours.  Mammograms do not view the whole chest wall; they are not effective for young, dense breast tissue, large breast, fibrocystic breasts, enhanced breasts (implants) and breast of women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Mammograms are used for breast cancer screening and  show the location of a mass or tumour.  Mammograms have a 25% false positive rate, meaning that 25% of the cases results suggest disease where there is none.  They have a 20% false negative rate (missed tumours) mostly in younger women, but can be missed in older women as well, due to the density of the breast tissue of women under 50 years of age.

A breast biopsy provides the only definitive diagnosis of breast cancer.  All other methods are investigative and adjunctive diagnostic tools.

So what is the big deal??  Well, here are the benefits of using the Digital Infrared Imaging Screening:

1. It is timely.  Problems can be found before abnormalities are seen with mammograms.  Early detection provides the best outcome and treatment can be provided to actually improve your breast rating.  Normally, it is a diet & supplements that actually will remove the offending substances from the breast tissue Ie. Xenoestrogens.  (False-estrogens from plastics, pesticides etc.)
2. Inclusive.  Which means that it examines the whole chest, breasts and armpit areas.
3. Good for all ages and stages.  It is good for puberty, pregnant, breast-feeding, pre-menopausal years & post-menopausal years.
4. Good for all breast types. Good for dense, pregnant, breastfeeding, fibrocystic, enhanced (implants) and women on oral hormone medication either BCP, HRT or Bio-identical Hormones.
5. Painless.  No squeezing, no pressure, no touching by equipment or technician.
6. Risk-free.  No harmful rays emitted so digital infrared imaging scan can be done as often as needed to monitor breast health and to guide treatment.
7. Risk indicator.  Digital infrared imaging results are a better indicator of future breast disease, than a family history of disease.

So what happens in a Digital Infrared Imaging Screening Session?

Preparation Stage (about 20 minutes)

First, you will be asked to fill out a breast history form about symptoms related to possible breast dysfunction and disease.  In a private room, you will undress to the waist and let your breasts adjust to the cool room temperature (18-22 C).  It takes about 10 minutes for this part so you can relax or read.

Screening Stage (about 10 minutes)

You will be asked to stand with your hands on your head about 10 feet in front of a digital infrared imaging camera.  there images will be taken: straight-on, and right and left partial side views.

Cold Challenge

You will be asked to put both hands in cool water (about 10 C) for 1 minute.  This is a cold challenge to your blood vessels.  Normal blood vessels narrow and gradually become cooler with this challenge while abnormal vessels do not narrow and remain warmer.

After the cold challenge, a second series of three scans will be taken to record the changes in the response of the blood vessels to the cold challenge.

Report Stage

Your digital infrared imaging breast scans will be read and analyzed by a member of the American Board of Thermology.  You will receive your report by email.  There will be given and estimated expected date the report will be sent to you.  It is also recommended that you send a copy of your report to your N.D., M.D., and any other health care providers.

Please note:  this technology can be used for other parts of the body, Ie. Thyroid.  Always inquire if you feel you want another part of your body scanned.

Thermology Report

The thermology report, written in precise technical language, is summarized by a number which is a classification guide regarding breast tissue function.  The criteria for breast thermology classifications were established in 1970 at the Pasteur Centre in Paris.  These classifications, known as the marseille system, are reported on a scale ranging form TH-1 to Th-5.

The numbers are an indication of normal (TH-1) to very abnormal (TH-5) cell function.  The higher numbers indicate a higher risk of malignant disease, but THEY ARE NOT A DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER.  The only accepted diagnosis of breast cancer is form a microscopic examination of cells from a biopsy.

All reports should be discussed with your health care professional.  Your health care professional will determine what follow-up testing and treatment is required.  The report will suggest or recommend a re-test timeframe.

All reports should be discussed with your health care professional.  Your health care professional will determine what follow-up testing and treatment is required.  The report will suggest or recommend retest timeframe.

TH-1

Is normal, healthy breast tissue: no evident, suspicious hot spots showing increased metabolic activity.  Next screen: usually 1 year.

TH-2

Normal, uniform breast tissue: some blood vessel activity (hotter than TH-1, but responds normally to cold challenge).  Benign cysts and elevated estrogen levels are in this category.  Next screen: usually 1 year.  Using a dietary protocol with a supplement protocol would be useful in cleaning up the breast tissue to see if you can get to the lowest level TH-1.

TH-3

Suspicious cell activity:  higher heat areas in breast tissue.  Next screen: Usually within 6 months to monitor.  And I would do a dietary and supplement protocol to help clean up the breast tissue, this way you increase your chances to have a normal thermography the next time.

TH-4

Abnormal cell activity: higher heat areas in breast tissue.  A dietary & supplement protocol is required to clean up the breast tissue and bring it back to normal.  Next screen: Usually within 3 months to monitor.

TH-5

Severely abnormal cell activity: higher heat areas in breast tissue.  Again, a dietary & supplement protocol to clean up the breast tissue is required to bring the breast tissue back to normal.  Next Screen: Usually within 3 months to monitor

Digital Infrared Imaging Practitioner:

Suzanne Sutherland, Certified Thermographic Technician.  She has an office both in Vancouver and Calgary.  She is very professional and would highly recommend her.  Call or email to book your appointment.  She is only in Calgary every 3 months so book your appointment today!

CALGARY
26 Discovery Hts, SW
Calgary, AB T3H 4Y6       Phone number: (778) 340-1947

http://www.breastthermography.ca/

Short Case Review:

50 year old caucasian women with strange breast pain/sensations and have persisted for 3 months.  There were no lumps found when she palpated her breasts.  She went for a breast thermography and the right breast was TH-4 and the left breast was TH-5.

For 6 months she did the Gerson Cancer Therapy diet and took lymphatic herbs particular for breast tissue and her constitutional type.  She repeated the breast thermography and her breast tissue had gone down to TH-1 & TH-2.

Her breast sensations were also gone and there were still no lumps detected by palpation.  In this case, as you can see, breast thermography helped to show the abnormal changes prior to developing breast cancer so that she was able to take a course of action to change the tissue back to normal.

I believe this can happen for more women!!  We do not have to have our breasts removed.  I do not understand the politics of why thermographies are not done in the hospitals, but I can tell you that cancer brings in a large amount of money and how much money would be lost in breast cancer treatment if breast cancer was never diagnosed in the first place??  Thousands of dollars.

Make breast thermography an annual part of your health program.  Don’t wait.

Start today!

 

Note: this information is provided for information purposes only and is not to diagnose or treat anyone.

Inflammation & its role in Chronic Illness including Autoimmune Diseases by Steven Horne

Inflammation: The Beginning Stage of all Disease

• Written By: Steven Horne
• Categorized in: General Health

This a three-part article. Click on the link below to read more.

In the past few years we’ve heard a lot of talk and read numerous books about the relationship between inflammation and chronic disease. We now know, for example, that inflammation is at the root of heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies, arthritis, and deteriorating mental ability in aging.

This may be big news for some, but not for me.  The idea that inflammation is at the root of all disease was something I learned in 1983 when I went to work for Dr. C. Samuel West at the International Academy of Lymphology. During the 10 months that I worked with Dr. West, he convinced me that inflammation was the first stage of the disease process, although he didn’t call it inflammation.

Dr. West and the “Gospel” of Lymphology

Dr. West was an interesting character. If any of you are familiar with Bach Flower essences, Dr. West was the perfect example of a Blue Vervain person, fanatically devoted to a cause to the point of being intrusive with other people. In fact, he was really an evangelical minister, except that instead of preaching the gospel, he was devoted to spreading the “good news” about lymphology.

By the way, I’m not exaggerating about how Dr. West promoted his message. On one occasion Carl Robinson and I accompanied him to the Bay Area for some meetings, and at one of the meetings he actually had a couple of people in the back of the room saying “Amen Brother” and “Praise the Lord!” When we went to church he actually stood up to bear testimony about the “trapped blood protein” research being the answer to ending mankind’s suffering. Carl and I were trying to sink under the pew, as if we didn’t know the guy.

According to Dr. West, trapped blood proteins are the cause of all disease.  His book, The Golden Seven Plus One (which has numbered chapters and paragraphs because he actually considered it a form of scripture), was devoted to the idea of eliminating all disease and bringing peace to the world. Technically speaking, Dr. West was talking about trapped plasma proteins, but he felt the word plasma was too technical for lay people to understand.

From Dr. West I learned about cutting edge research on the lymphatic system. I learned how the lymphatic system was necessary to maintain a healthy “negative sub-atmospheric pressure condition” between the cells. He called it the “dry state,” again because he avoided anything that sounded technical. This healthy state of the cells involves just enough fluid around the cells to fill the spaces between them without creating any fluid pressure. The pressure is maintained inside the blood stream (rather than around the cells) by means of the plasma (or blood) proteins—albumin, globulin and fibrinogen. They create something called osmotic pressure.

Almost ten years later, I had an artist create the following illustration which I’ve been using ever since to illustrate the “happy” cells in the dry state. The illustration shows how the water molecules “stick” to the plasma proteins, which hold them in the circulatory system.

Dr. West used Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology as a reference and gave us all a copy. In studying Guyton, I noted that he says inflammation starts with a movement of fluid and protein into the tissue spaces, followed by a “clotting” of fluids in the tissue spaces. This, of course, leads to swelling, one of the four classic signs of inflammation.

When I read this, I realized that Dr. West’s “trapped blood proteins” were really the beginning stages of inflammation, and I asked him why he didn’t call it inflammation. You guessed it! He also thought that was too technical. However, I didn’t, so after leaving Dr. West’s employment (primarily because he ran out of money to pay me), I quit saying “trapped blood proteins are the cause of disease and death at the cell level” and started saying “inflammation is the beginning stage of all disease.”

To illustrate the “inflamed state,” I also had this illustration created, which showed the “unhappy” cells when fluid and protein leave the blood stream because the capillary pores have dilated. It shows the proteins flooding into the tissue spaces building up fluid and making the cells sick. Anyone who has studied with me for any length of time has seen these illustrations. They’re included here for new people, to help them visualize what I’m talking about.

I learned a lot of great stuff from Dr. West. I learned how to reverse minor injuries and relieve pain using lymph-moving techniques like pressure, massage, light, rapid stroking, the energy ball and deep breathing. It also helped me to develop an understanding of the many herbs that work to heal injuries and relieve pain.  These are all taught in my Fundamentals of Natural Healing course.

Over the years, I’ve watched as mainstream medicine has announced its discovery that inflammation is involved in this or that disease. Now, it is well established that inflammation is at the root of many chronic and degenerative diseases. Dr. West’s assertion that “trapped blood proteins” are involved in the “process of disease and death at the cellular level” is gradually being vindicated, and I hope someday he’ll get the recognition he deserves for his discoveries.

In all this mainstream “hoopla” about inflammation and disease, however, there are some very simple “keys” (which Dr. West taught me) that are missing from every book and article I’ve reviewed.  So, let me present my own perspective on the subject of inflammation based on the foundation of practical understanding that dear Dr. West provided me.  Bless his beautiful “blue vervain” soul.

nflammation 101

• Written By: Steven Horne
• Categorized in: General Health

Page Two of a Three-Part Article.

The first thing I learned from Dr. West is that inflammation is the body’s initial response to all tissue damage. In other words, any time you damage a cell in any way, an inflammatory process is initiated. There are two basic types of tissue damage: mechanical damage and chemical damage.

Chemical damage comes from toxins and toxins derive from three main sources. First, there are poisons which can be introduced into the body. These could be plant toxins (poison ivy, death cap mushrooms, etc.) or animal venoms (bee stings, spider bites, etc.) or chemicals (heavy metals, gasoline, solvents, etc.). Second, there are metabolic toxins (waste products of our own metabolism. And third, there are metabolic toxins released by microorganisms and parasites (such as yeast, bacteria, intestinal worms, etc.).

However, no matter what the source of the toxin is, the response of the body is always the same. So, while the body can be traumatized and injured in many different ways, the manner in which the body responds is consistent. This is what makes the simple techniques of natural healing so effective.

When cells are damaged, their membranes rupture. This allows chemicals which were inside the cell to be released into the surrounding fluids. Among these chemicals are histamine, bradykinin and serotonin. These chemicals initiate the inflammatory process, by dilating the pores in the nearby blood capillaries. This allows the plasma proteins (albumin, globulin and fibrinogen) to move out of the blood stream and into the tissue spaces in large quantities. Since these proteins hold onto water in the blood stream (maintaining osmotic pressure), they carry this water with them into the tissue spaces. This causes the first characteristic of inflammation: swelling or localized edema.

This slows down the microcirculation at the site of injury. Normally, the fluid between the cells is moving very rapidly (changing 80 times per second according to Dr. Guyton). Now, the fluid pools around the cells creating a localized stagnation. This is one of the body’s protective mechanisms.  If the damage is due to some toxin, this slows the movement of the toxin so it can’t spread rapidly through the body. If the protective layers of skin or membranes have been damaged, it also prevents microbes that may have entered through these breaches from moving rapidly through the system.

However, in spite of the protective nature of this pooling of fluid, it also creates two negative effects. One is that the oxygen and nutrient supply to the cells is diminished. The other is that wastes are not removed efficiently. Thus, cells suffer oxygen and nutrient deprivation and the localized environment becomes increasingly toxic, the longer the fluid remains in place.

Dr. West believed that the other classic symptoms of inflammation—pain, heat and redness—are caused by this accumulation of fluid. He believed that the lack of oxygen causes the pain and that the heat and redness are caused by a shutting down of the sodium potassium pump which creates electrical energy for the cell. He felt that the electrical energy was being converted to mechanical energy. I was never convinced that his explanation was correct, so I’ve never taught it.

In all fairness to Dr. West, however, the only chemicals he knew to be involved in the inflammatory process were histamine and bradykinin. I have the advantage of 20 additional years of research to aid my understanding.

My New Insights on Inflammation

For instance, when I first learned about free radicals and oxidative stress, I thought, now there’s a more reasonable explanation for the “heat” part of inflammation. There must be a lot of free radical activity at the inflammatory site. Now, I know that white blood cells are drawn to inflammatory sites where they release oxygen radicals to destroy microorganisms and “burn up” cellular debris. So, this definitely helps account for the heat at the inflammatory site.

More recently, I’ve been learning about the chemical messengers cells use to “talk” to each other. These chemicals are very basic types of hormones—autocrine hormones—and are collectively known as eicosonoids. They include prostaglandins, leukotrienes, cytokines, lipoxins and resolvins. Currently, there’s a lot of research being done on these chemical messengers and their role in inflammation. These messengers help create the other classic symptoms of inflammation.

Forgive my cynicism, but I believe that the reason the researchers are focused on these chemical messengers is because they are trying to develop new designer drugs to manipulate them. The COX-2 inhibitors (viox and celebrex) were drugs developed from studying how to manipulate these chemical messengers to relieve pain. My attitude is that we’re overlooking some very obvious and simple answers here because they’re too easy and don’t lead to patented chemicals (drugs) that make pharmaceutical companies rich.

In order to understand what some of those obvious and simple answers are, we first need to delve a little deeper into our understanding of what is happening. So far, the book that has been the most helpful in developing my understanding of the chemicals mediating the inflammatory process has beenThe Anti-Inflammation Zone by Barry Sears. He talks about four phases of inflammation. So, let me explain each of these phases of inflammation, what is happening, and how we can help the body in each phase.

Initial Phase of Inflammation

We’ve already introduced the first stage of inflammation by explaining that tissue damage causes cell membranes to rupture. This results in the release of histamine, which is followed by a release of bradykinin, serotonin and other chemical messengers. These messenger chemicals dilate the capillary pores allowing fluid and protein to rush into the damaged tissues creating swelling, which initiates the inflammatory process.

At this stage, inflammation is actually quite easy to reverse. If one can keep the fluid moving out of the tissues and into the lymphatic system, then the cells never suffer oxygen and nutrient deprivation or a localized build up of toxins. This allows repair to take place very rapidly. All one has to do is keep the lymphatics moving, which can be done by applying pressure to the injury, lightly rubbing or massaging the injured area or even applying energy to the area of injury.

This technique works extremely well for smashed fingers, bumps, abrasions, burns and other minor injuries. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been able to take the pain out of minor injuries like these (either on myself or others). The process generally takes 5-20 minutes. (One of the things I learned from Dr. West and have subsequently verified to be true is that the maximum time it takes to reverse these minor injuries is 20 minutes.) As long as you keep the fluid from building up in the tissues, the pain will go away and the damage will be reversed within that period of time.

Of course, you can’t use these techniques for chemical injuries like a bee sting or spider bite. That’s because keeping the lymph moving would spread the toxin more rapidly through the system, something we don’t want to do. So, you have to do something that will neutralize the toxin first, like applying an herbal poultice.

Second Phase of Inflammation

In the second phase of inflammation, eicosonoids (leukotrienes) are released to further dilate the blood vessels. This allows white blood cells to exit the blood stream and enter the damaged area. The white blood cells can get rid of toxins and debris from damaged cells. This also causes further swelling.

Histamine and leukotrienes also cause bronchial constriction and increase the production of mucus on mucous membranes. This helps flush irritants from the respiratory tissues (which is what happens in a cold). There are also eicosonoids that sensitize pain receptors in the nerves, to increase pain signals to the brain.

One point that I learned from Dr. West that seems to be missing from the literature on inflammation (so I can’t substantiate it from the research, only from personal experience) is the issue of the proteins clotting in the tissue spaces. I believe this happens during the second phase of inflammation, and here’s my take on it:

It appears that active cells produce tiny electrical fields and that these fields keep the proteins in suspension so they don’t clump together. With the fluid accumulation in the tissue spaces causing reduced oxygen and nutrient supply, the electrical fields diminish, and this is what causes the proteins to clump together or clot. Once they clump together, they won’t move into the lymphatics and the fluid remains stuck in the tissues. I believe that this problem creates the second phase of disease, the subacute or stagnant phase, where a chronic congestion develops in the localized tissue and lymphatics.

The reason I know that there is an electrical connection between the proteins and the fluids is because of my experiences in noting how electromagnetic fields affect injured tissues. The application of energy alone (either in the form of “hands on” healing, electrical stimulation from actual electrical devices or magnets, or high energy remedies such as essential oils) consistently breaks up this localized stagnation and moves the stuck fluid and protein into the lymphatic system to be drained away.

The fact that I’ve seen applications of energy alone take down the localized edema is enough to convince me that this second phase of inflammation is characterized by a loss of energy production in the cells and a further stagnating of fluids. However, as I’ve already stated, none of the literature I’ve read on inflammation talks about this.

Third Phase of Inflammation

In the third phase of inflammation, more eicosonoids (cytokines) signal white blood cells (macrophages and neutrophils) to enter the area for further clean-up. These cells use oxygen radicals to destroy microbes and cellular debris. This is where the oxidative stress of inflammation comes in. Healthy cells have antioxidants to protect themselves from oxidative stress. If the cells are deficient in antioxidants, then the oxidative process taking place at the site of inflammation can damage more cells.

It’s like a forest fire which starts because there’s a lot of dead, dry wood in the forest. When the fire gets going, and it’s hot enough, even green trees will burn. Antioxidants make cells that are like well-watered trees. They’re hard to burn. This contains the inflammation and keeps it from spreading.

Fourth Phase of Inflammation

This is the final or healing phase in the normal inflammatory process. The cleaning crews (white blood cells) have been busy “burning up” debris and clearing the area. Now, cortisol from the adrenal glands is secreted. This shuts down the production of eicosonoids and halts the inflammatory process. It’s like hosing down the entire area to put out the fires and prepare for reconstruction. Macrophages clean up the remaining debris, while a new group of eicosonoids (lipoxins and resolvins) signal cells that it’s time to begin the process of rebuilding.

There are several obvious things that inhibit the healing phase. One is exhausted adrenals. This is something I see in autoimmune disorders. I’ve never seen anyone with an autoimmune disorder who doesn’t have exhausted adrenals. I’ve also never seen anyone who has an autoimmune disorder who wasn’t low in antioxidants.

Therefore, my personal theory about autoimmune disorders is that they aren’t caused by the immune system turning on the body. I think they are caused by some kind of toxicity which has created a chronic inflammation in part of the body. Like the forest fire, the inflammatory process is running out of control because the adrenals aren’t strong enough to produce enough cortisol to keep the fire in check, and healthy cells are being damaged by the lack of antioxidants.

Another reason why the healing phase isn’t initiating in chronic inflammation is because it takes omega-3 essential fatty acids to create the eicosonoids needed to signal the repair and rebuilding phase. Because just about everyone in our society is getting too many omega-6 essential fatty acids and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, the body is unable to initiate the healing phase. High levels of insulin also interfere with the production of the eicosonoids that keep inflammation in check and promote healing, so our high carb diets are also contributing to the problem.

Four Stages of Disease

• Written By: Steven Horne
• Categorized in: General Health

This is page 3 of a three-part article.

Although I didn’t learn this from Dr. West, I believe that when acute inflammation doesn’t heal properly, it becomes subacute or chronic inflammation. As I mentioned earlier, this subacute phase of the disease process is characterized by clotted protein in the tissue spaces which isn’t moving due to diminished energy production. If this situation continues, then tissue function becomes permanently depressed and chronic disease results.

Is Infection Really the Culprit?

Also, while it’s obvious that infection can be involved in the inflammatory process, I firmly believe that most infections are actually a secondary effect and not the actual cause of the inflammation. Healthy skin and membranes resist infection, but once they have become damaged and inflammation has set in, the stagnation of fluid in the tissue spaces creates a breeding ground for microbes. My reasoning here is that most harmful microbes operate on an anaerobic metabolism, that is, they derive energy from the process of fermentation. Our cells are aerobic, which means they utilize oxygen to burn carbohydrates for fuel. The reduced oxygen supply to stagnant, inflamed tissues creates an anaerobic environment that encourages the growth of these microbes.

A New Explanation for Cancer and Other Diseases

It has long been known that cancer cells are anaerobic. So, the low oxygen environment in stagnant tissues (coupled with the free radical damage associated with inflammation), causes some cells to revert to the anaerobic metabolism they operated under in the embryonic state, and they start growing at the same rate. Thus, cancer is born.

Obviously, if tissue remains in a stagnant, depressed state for a long enough period of time it will start to break down and decay and degenerative disease sets in. Organs and tissue deteriorate and that also creates an environment for more anaerobic activity (chronic infection and/or cancer).

So, because of what I learned from Dr. West, I have come to believe that the disease process is essentially the same in all diseases. It all starts with some kind of damage which sets up acute inflammation. If the body has the support it needs, the acute inflammation heals and the problem is resolved.  However, if the body doesn’t have the help it needs to heal, then the inflammation becomes low grade and chronic. I call this the subacute and chronic stages of disease, which are characterized by localized lymphatic stagnation and depressed tissue function. If this chronic inflammation remains unchecked, degeneration sets in, which is the fourth stage of the disease process.

Thus, all disease is really one disease. What differentiates the many different types of diseases the body is prone to are three factors: 1) the source of the tissue damage, 2) the site of the tissue damage and 3) the stage of the body’s response to that damage (acute, subacute, chronic or degenerative). Some people may think this model is over simplistic, and it very well may be, but it serves me well as a natural healer and seems to work in practical application (which is all I really care about).

We’re Ahead of the Game

While science is busy studying all the little chemical messengers and trying to develop “designer drugs” to enhance or inhibit them, we’re already there. The fact is, that these chemical messengers cause changes to take place in healthy tissue. These changes are observable (swelling, redness, bruising, etc.), so we can see what these eicosonoids are doing to alter the tissue.

We also have hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years of people noting that certain herbs produced observable changes in various tissue states in the body. This means that the herbs have to be enhancing or inhibiting various eicosonoids to create these changes. We don’t have to wait for science to figure out which chemicals affect which messenger chemicals. We only have to do what herbalists have been doing for thousands of years, observe the condition of the tissue (what stage of the disease process it is in) and apply the appropriate remedies.

It’s really the core of everything I’m doing. So, if you want to learn more about inflammation and it’s relationship to chronic and degenerative diseases, you can check out the Fundamentals of Natural Healing Course, which explains the process of inflammation in detail and gives practical information about relieving pain, reversing injuries, and healing both acute and chronic disease. Insights into the various tissue states caused by the stages of inflammation are found in the ABC+D Approach courseand the Nature’s Pharmacy course.

And, if you want to hear the next generation of Dr. West’s message, his son Karl West is carrying on his father’s legacy. You can check it out at www.ial.org. (They still have the Certified Lymphology course I put together for them over 20 years ago.) And, truth is, I’m still somewhat “infected’ by Dr. West’s passion, which was to help end the suffering caused by degenerative disease, and to bring peace to the world. So, maybe there’s a little touch of that blue vervain personality in me, too.

Pertinent Preparation Pointers For Getting the Most Out of Your Natural Health Appointments

I have put together some Pointers to help you get the most of your appointments whether “initial” or “follow-ups” with your Natural Health Practitioner or even your regular M.D., though some pointers are really only pertinent to a Natural Health Practitioner unless your M.D. prescribes natural remedies for your health problems.

1. Bring a food diary in showing what you ate for the last 10 days, include all meals & snacks and if you noticed if you felt any different eating certain foods or avoiding certain foods.

2. Bring your current supplements that you are taking along with any prescription medications especially to your first appointment.  You can then just bring anything new that you added in to your follow-up appointments.  

3. Bring in your most recent, even if it was 2 years prior, blood work & any other scans or medical diagnostic tests that you have had done to your initial appointment as well as any current results to your follow-up appointments as you get the tests done.  Sometimes it is easier to scan them to your practitioner before you get there so that they can have a look at them right before they see you.

4. Make sure you bring in a diary of your supplements or however you kept track of the supplements you took and if you noticed that you felt better or not after running out of them.  Ie. Sometimes it is easier to notice if something is helping if you run out of the supplement first and then evaluate how you feel.  If you feel worse after running out of a supplement there may be a correlation, but the Practitioner can determine this at the appointment.

5. If you are feeling quite well and most of your symptoms are gone, but are unsure of what to stay on as far as the supplements you were taking, then ask if you can have a shorter appointment time.

6. Once you have determined what is working I would then ask if you can simply pick up remedies that you need.  It is important to note here that buying store brand products that are cheap have very little health benefits & usually contain substances that are toxic. Keep in mind that Health Canada approves products on our shelves NOT because of good quality control…they do not even look at quality control…thus the same herb in different brands can be completely different and you will not get the same results. (Ie. It could be contaminated with animal dander, not the correct medicinal species etc.) If you go to a reputable practitioner they will often give you advice as to what to buy from your local health food store, if you don’t buy from them.

7.  If your symptoms have improved, but you still have the symptoms then make sure you make another appointment.  Keep in mind that the longer you have had a symptom, the longer it generally takes to go away…though not nearly as long as you had it.  Ie. A symptom that you have had for 20 years you may get rid of in less than 2 years, which isn’t too bad considering how long you have had it.  

    I like the car analogy.  If you drove your car for 5 years without maintenance you can expect to pay thousands on repair/maintenance costs.  Now think of driving your car for 25 years without maintenance…this is what a lot of people due to their own bodies.  It will cost you a lot more if you wait until you have symptoms for years, then go for help.  

    My general recommendation is to go for an appointment at least spring and fall even if you feel well, that way health patterns & changes can be noted and addressed before you become really unwell.  Another reason for going every spring and fall is to detoxify & cleanse using herbs to get at the deeper toxins in the body thus increasing the vitality of the liver, thus increasing your own vitality and wellness.

 Disclaimer:  This is for information purposes only and readers take full responsibility for applying these guidelines to their lives.

 

Steps to Healing (adapted from Dr. Mikael Adams N.D.)

 Steps to Healing (adapted from Dr. Mikael Adams N.D.)

These steps are for chronic conditions of the body, which we will all experience at some point in life, whether the beginning, middle or end.  These steps are not necessarily in the order that you will heal, in fact some of them can be done together.  Ie. Psychological/Spiritual help can be done at the same time as taking drainage or detoxification therapy.

These steps are based on the supposition that the person is on the correct diet for themselves & avoiding exposure, as much as humanly possible, to toxins in their environment. (Correct diet, with good, filtered water, preferably alkaline water so it will absorb properly & the avoidance of chemicals in food, air, water and on your skin.)

Step One:  Open the Excretory Organs & drain:  a)Bowels, b)Lymphatic system, c) Kidneys,    d) Skin, & the liver empties via the bowel.  Ultimately you want to get at the CELLULAR level which requires more than just a great diet.  This is where herbs & homeopathic remedies come in.  Herbs can scour the toxins around & inside your cells, the Unda #’s, which are homeopathic remedies, are used to get rid of cellular toxins, & will help you get rid of toxins affecting cellular function & enzyme systems, that rely on nutrients to run.  When your body’s cells are  “cleaned” this way,  then your supplements & even food  you use will be less in volume or calories, but nutrient rich, since your body will run more efficiently and need less calories to do it. So eating nutrient dense foods with less calories will help your body function correctly while you do the cleansing but it will NOT take the place of cleansing.  Eating a diet such as this will not detoxify you at the cellular level by itself…this is a mistake that a lot of people make.  It isn’t all about diet, in this case. (Ie. When you tune up your car, your gas mileage gets better because it will require less to run on.)

Step Two: Eliminate Environmental Toxins & the predisposition to “collecting” them in your body.  This can be done by treating your “constitution” and your “tendencies” that  you were born with.  This is usually through homeopathic remedies that release the negative tendency and “neutralize” its influence.  These are chronic conditions like; scoliosis, schizophrenia, alcoholism, diabetes, weak lungs, weak joints etc.

Step Three:  Stimulate the enzymes & substitute where necessary.  Using certain herbs to increase digestive power or using the Unda #’s to clean off the enzyme systems can help the person’s body to digest & assimilate their food much more effectively.  (I always say “you are what you assimilate.”)  In this way, all the organs and the systems made up from the organs will function more effectively creating a stable energy flow through out the day with no dips to the energy.  Remember, we are a human chemical factory and if there is a blockage in any of the enzyme systems the liver will try to push wastes through another enzyme system, if it does not work, you will store the toxins often in your bowel, lymphatic system and your between your cells causing you to become lethargic.  This is gradual of course and is often why people do not pick up on their problems quick enough since they believe it has to do with “old age” or working too much etc.  Cancer and other degenerative dis-ease starts here…at the cellular level.

Step Four:  Dysbiosis Therapy which is basically working on your gut and making sure that you are eating fermented foods daily like; water kefir, milk kefir, sauerkraut, fermented veges etc.  (Pickled food is not fermented.)  You may also need some herbs for the gut if you have a parasite or an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut which can lower your B12 levels and cause low energy.  Having a gut with the correct amount of healthy flora will help you produce B vitamins, enzymes etc.

Step Five:  Reduce Stress & Tonify the Qi.  Herbs & diet combined can help to tone the Qi & reduce stress in our body. If you compare this to your car engine, the gas will flow freely to the engine to combust with little waste left over and give your car the energy it needs to run smoothly. This is when you will have the best energy, no blocks to your energetic system.  The herbs & diet you need to maintain this energy or Qi will depend on your body type & individual idiosyncrasies, which is why it is important to get checked out by a professional.  Since just because a certain herb/regime helped someone else does not mean it is the best for you.  It will save you time and money to actually get checked out by a Holistic Professional of your choice since you will not have to guess what you need and waste money trying it out.

Step Six:  Nutritional Support, like Vitamin & Mineral supplements or nutritive herbs can also work well or green smoothies or juicing etc.  Anything to get your nutrient quotient up.  Think organic veges with some fruit in season.

Step Seven:  Constitutional therapy especially for the way you express and feel emotions & your body’s tendencies to certain dis-ease.  Healing your emotions or the way you express them can be challenging for some people.  Ultimately, the way you express yourself or do not express yourself is the way you were built and conditioned.  Certain homeopathic remedies can be helpful for those whose emotions are “stuck” and cause havoc in the body.  Ie. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or any chronic disease has an emotional element to it plus some so called “genetic” dis-eases can be helped by this type of therapy.

Step Eight:  Organ & Enzyme regeneration are sometimes required and organotherapy (a specific form of homeopath aimed at a specific organ to help it function normally) can be useful here.  Even some high strength antioxidants either in foods or herbs are very useful here to restore and protect the liver especially, but also the cardiovascular system, kidneys etc.  This will keep the body from degenerative diseases by protecting the body against the pollutants we have no control over as in the “air you breathe”.  Ie. We all need protection from air pollution.

Step Nine:  Spiritual/Psychological Healing:  Personally, I believe all that we do is spiritual, even if it is just the body, since the body houses the soul and we are one unit.  But sometimes people experience trauma in their life and it will create a vortex that uses up a lot of energy, since the person will be reacting to things that set them off without control.  So these traumas need to be healed and can be released through EMDR methods quite effectively or even talk therapy,  if you get the right professional for yourself.  Also, having a faith in someone bigger than your world can be essential to healing as it will give meaning to the suffering we all endure to one extent or another and hope, to get through it or be healed in the next life, in heaven.

Step Ten:  Removal of Electromagnetic Radiation (EMG) & Geopathic Stress from cell phones, cell phone towers and zones that cause geopathic stress in houses or buildings that people reside in.  Generally, EMG and Geopathic Stress cause Cancer over time but also very low energy and other inflammatory conditions of the body in the mean time.  There is a lot of evidence out there now where you can see the research on the cause and effect of these sources of radiant energy.  These types of energy will affect the body’s electrical system and cause the  bodys’ energy field  to be over-powered by the energy fields from phones & cell phone towers especially, but also geopathic stress will do this also.  One of the protectors I recommend are the Pulsor products which contain various strengths of Piezo Electric Crystals which will emit a field over your own energy field and strengthen it so that you are not affected by the fields that surround you.  (I have experienced this personally around large pieces of automated chemistry equipment while working in the hospital and the Pulsor Crystals saved me.  Very low energy was my symptom…so low that I could hardly function at the end of the day.)

 

Disclaimer:  Please note this article is strictly for information purposes only.  It is not meant to diagnose or prescribe or give advice.  Each person must take responsibility for their own health and get the advice specific for their own situation from a professional of their choice.

 

Tips to Avoid Breast Cancer

Here are some basic recommendations on how to increase your resistance to developing breast cancer:  

1. Eat cruciferous vegetables especially broccoli.

2. Increase consumption of vegetables and fruit.  Especially green vegetables.  Eat 454 gm per day.  Green smoothies can help you get them down!

3. Keep tabs on your bloodwork.  Make sure you do not have elevated iron.  Go to someone that looks at blood work in a “functional” way.  Bloodwork in “functional” ranges is more narrow than the typical “disease” ranges that are typical in Western Medicine.  Functional ranges tell you if you are functioning within “optimal” health or not.

4. Avoid or limit alcohol.

5. Exercise daily, especially cardiovascular health.  Make sure that you sweat and get your heart rate up at least 30 minutes per day.

6. Weight control is important.  Keep your body fat low.

7. Reduce stress.  Take a adrenal and or a thyroid supplement when under stress.

8. Avoid wearing underwire bras.  In fact, have at least 1 day a week where you don’t wear one at all!!

9. Get a regular Thermography.  They can show changes that lead up to a lump, rather than waiting to get a lump.  These are typically not promoted in Western Medicine because it would give less work to the Mammogram clinic and would cost them a lot to change over.  But check out http://www.medthermonline.com for more information.

 

This is for information purposes only.  This is not meant to diagnose or prescribe.