Dairy Important Information

You don’t need to be a cancer patient or survivor to know that you may need to make some changes to your diet.

Recently, I was told by my GI that I have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). After enormous amounts of research, I found that I am not the only one with so called “poopy problems.” In fact, everyone has some form of IBS. It usually shows its face around times of stress or certain insalubrious diet changes.

I researched every food and the affect it has on people with more forceful IBS. Eventually I decided that if I was to be influenced from what I read online, I would starve to death before my “poopy problems” even took effect!

I made my own diet changes. As obvious as it may seem, I made it my goal to eat two servings of vegetables a day. The same went for fruit. The rest of the foods I ate came with trial and error.

To this day one question I am always asked is, doesn’t dairy upset your stomach? How do you get enough calcium? The answer is yes, dairy does bother me and no, I am not lactose intolerant.

These very questions bring me to the purpose of this blog post. How does someone chose which milk to buy? Which yogurt? In most grocers today the choices for milk go far beyond 2%, whole, and fat free. How about those choices plus organic, almond milk, soy, rice…the list continues.

So which source of calcium is better on your next bowl of cereal? Let’s dig in!

Cow’s milk: Available in whole, 2%, 1%, and skim. Cow’s milk is the best choice for those with no dairy sensitivity. It has the highest daily calcium value and double the amount of protein than any other milk.

Soy milk: Soy milk has more of a thickness to it than that of cow’s milk. Soy milk comes in a variety of flavors, and is made by soaking soybeans and grinding them with water. It is low in calories, high in protein and calcium, and has no saturated fat. There is ongoing research of soybeans, and as some studies suggest soy can inhibit protein and mineral absorption offsetting its health benefits.

Goat’s milk: Used all around the world as a compliment to cow’s milk, goat milk is more easily digested because its protein molecules are sized differently than cow’s milk. Goat’s milk and whole cow’s milk contain the same amount of protein however, goat’s milk contains more tryptophan, an essential amino acid. The pitfall, goat’s milk contains lactose, sorry dairy free-ers!

Almond milk: A personal favorite! Almond milk has the same thickness and texture as cow’s milk and is lactose and dairy free! Almond milks’ high vitamin and mineral and low fat content make it comparable to cow’s milk however, it only contains 1 gram of protein per cup rather than 7-8 grams in soy and cow’s milk. Note: Always check the ingredients in almond milk, some brands add unnecessary sugar.

Rice milk: Low in fat and calories, rice milk is also lactose and soy-free. The problem with rice milk is that it contains little to no nutritional benefits.

Coconut milk: Thick and creamy, coconut milk is best used for cooking! It is more easily digested than diary milks and low in cholesterol. Watch out for those calories! Coconut milk has almost 500 calories per cup.

Raw milk: Some note it as “nature’s perfect food.” Raw milk comes from cows, goats, or sheep and is unpasteurized, meaning no processing. Make an informed choice to drink raw milk. Cons include harbored bacteria in your milk such as, salmonella,  E. coli and listeria.

Organic milk: Sleep better at night knowing that your organic milk was made without growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. With some debate, organic milk is not much-if any healthier than regular cow’s milk and cost more than double the price.

This may seem like a lot to soak in, but more and more consumers are looking to go “all-natural”, dairy-free and of course green! Make sure you are making the best decision for yourself and your family.

Use this as a guide the next time you are shopping for milk or yogurt. Please feel free to leave your comments on which kind of milk satisfies you best and why!

Source

Top 10 Ways To Prevent Breast Cancer

1) Keep your BMI (body mass index) under 25: Breast cancer is often detected in later stages in obese women who more often than not, do not have as strong immune systems to help fight off the disease. Grab a partner and hit the gym this weekend!

2) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week: Doing physical activities such as brisk walking can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 15-25%.

3) Avoid alcohol at ALL costs!: In 2000, the National Institutes of Health actually listed alcohol as a human carcinogen! One drink a day can raise your risk of breast cancer.

4) Diet from the past: Eat like our ancestors used to! Fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, no sugared drinks or refined carbohydrates.

5) No hot flashes? No need for hormones!: Hormone therapy may increase your risk of breast cancer. Although it is OK to use hormone therapy at menopause to assist with those unworldly symptoms, however, it is probably a good idea to take them no longer than 5 years.

6) Consider estrogen-blocking medicine: If you are over the age of 60 and breast cancer runs in your family, you may want to consider certain types of drugs that can actually help you block estrogen from your breast cells!

7) No Smoking!: We all know smoking leads to lung cancer, but did you know it can lead to breast cancer too? Active smokers and exposure to second hand smoke can increase the risk in premenopausal women by 20% or more!

8) Put the baby formula away: Breast feeding your baby plays a significant role in the risk of developing breast cancer. Your body produces more of the hormone prolactin which in turns lowers the amount of estrogen in your breasts. In countries where breast feeding is done for longer periods of time, the number of women that develop breast cancer is much lower than that of the United States. The longer you can breast feed, the more protected you are.

9) Become a lab rat: Taking part in ongoing research is a great way to learn about new and improving ways to lower your risk of breast cancer while helping other women find answers too.

10) Show your support: Joining the fight against breast cancer by attending a charity event, walking for a cure, or making any donation can all help raise money for breast cancer research.

Read the full article here...

Cancer Connect Episode 6

Cancer Connect reunites with Julie Grimm after the ONS Conference in New Orleans. Julie tells us WHY it is so important to have a planner when first diagnosed and HOW her planner will not only keep you organized, but act as your comfort blanket and friend during this uncertain time.

Julie Grimm is a breast cancer and brain tumor survivor and knows first hand the feelings and emotional state the flood a patient's mind and body when newly diagnosed. Inspirational and motivational, Julie is a great person with an amazing product!

Milk and Cancer

Dear Dr. Bone,

Is it true that there is a difference in the risk for cancer if you drink whole milk instead of skim or 2%? My friends and I were discussing it at lunch. I thought the benefits of lower fat were all related to heart disease, but they say that whole milk also contributes to cancer. Who is right?

D.L.

Dear D.L.

The relationship between milk and cancer is complex. Countries whose inhabitants do not consume much milk seem to have lower incidences of certain cancers. For example, in Japan and Mongolia there is less breast cancer than in the United States. One of the reasons posited for this phenomenon is the presence of hormones in milk. In order for cows to produce more milk they are kept pregnant for prolonged periods of time. Milk from pregnant cows naturally has a higher estrogen content. Farmers also inject the cows with hormones. One in particular, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), results in milk that contains higher amounts of Insulin-like Growth Factor, known as IGF-1. IGF-1 can be absorbed from the milk and stimulate cancer cells. Since hormones in milk are fat soluble, it would seem safer to drink low fat milk. On the other hand, conjugated linoleic acid, a natural anti-cancer molecule, is found at its highest concentration in whole milk as is calcium, a necessary building block for our bones.

The popular book called The China Study looks into the relationship between diet and cancer. I have many friends who became vegan after reading it because they were convinced that dairy consumption can be dangerous, not just for cancer, but for heart disease and other ailments too. A moderate by nature, I suggest that each person find their comfort level after assessing the data. It is unlikely that an occasional glass of milk or ice cream will cause cancer, but dietary modifications along with exercise, decreasing alcohol consumption, and controlling stress, should results in a longer, healthier life.

~ Dr. Bone

Juicing and Cancer

Dear Dr. Bone,

I just read an article about the power of juicing and a raw diet to prevent cancer. What do you think?

Health Nut

Dear Health Nut,

I am so happy that bring up prevention as a topic. Cetainly we wouldn’t need to work so hard on treating cancer if we could prevent it in the first place! I may sound like a broken record, but cancer is not just one disease. If it were, then we could probably come up with the right way to prevent it. Instead, there are so many reasons people get cancer, that no one behavior will guarantee that you won’t get cancer. Eating organic, or raw, or juicing is a healthy thing to do because you get the recommended daily intake of various fruits and vegetables. Whether those choices really prevent cancer has not been proven. My personal opinion is that moderation and personal happiness is the key. That would translate to some raw, some cooked. Juicing, but not necessarily every day. Red meat on occasion, but not as a staple.  I applaud people who take an interest in their food choices because they usually exercise and maintain their weight as well – both of which seem to be correlated with a lower risk of many diseases including cancer.

Dr. Bone

Convincing A Friend To Quit Smoking

Dear D. Bone,

I know this is not exactly a question about cancer, but I thought you might help. My sister died of lung cancer after smoking for 40 years. My nephew is now a grown man with children. He smokes like a chimney! He watched his mother die but won’t quit. Is there anything that can be done to convince him that he needs to stop smoking now?

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

It is hard to believe that someone who has watched a loved one die of a smoking related cancer still smokes themselves. Remember, smoking is an addiction, and a lesson learned from Alcoholics Anonymous is that you cannot change a person who is addicted. They must want to change themselves. All you can do is love and support them. His own family can make rules that he cannot smoke inside the house because of the risk of exposure to second-hand smoke, but more aggressive intervention will probably not work. Until he is ready to quit smoking, any nagging, warning, prodding, or begging is in vain. I suggest that you simply make him aware that you are available if that time should arrive. Then, there are medications, support groups, hypnotism, laser, acupuncture, etc. to make it easier.

By the way, for those of you inclined to quit smoking, there is an urban legend that for each year you quit smoking, your risk of lung cancer goes down. Unfortunately, former smokers make up a considerable portion of lung cancer patients. The risk remains high for a very long time. Please, please use that as motivation to quit NOW.

Dr. Bone

Self Breast Exam

Dear Dr. Bone,

I am a good patient who goes for annual mammograms, but I do not do breast self exam.I am afraid that I won’t know what I am feeling or that I will find something. I feel guilty about it but have heard various things about how important it is to do regularly. What do you think?

M.M.

Dear M.M.

If only I had a nickel for the number of times that I’ve heard those comments! You are not alone. There are many studies pointing stressing the importance of self exam to find cancers, especially ones that do not show up on mammogram and come up between mammograms (called interval cancers). Other studies show that breast self exam does not necessarily improve survival from breast cancer or long term outcomes. My feeling is that you should try to do them, but not beat yourself up about it if you do not do them regularly. There are now kits available to improve your technique by using silicone or other liquids between to layers to improve your skill. While these may be helpful, if you can just start with soap and water in the shower and try to cover all areas of the breast and armpit it is a good start. Remember, almost every woman has some lumps and bumps. Anything hard, stuck, and painless may be important. Try to examine during the week after your period is over when the breasts tend to be less sensitive. If you are postmenopausal, just pick the first of the month or your birthday number. I liken breast self exam to moving to a new city. In the first few months you don’t know your way around, but eventually, you know the streets well and would notice if there is a traffic detour. Once you make breast self exam a habit, any changes, even small ones, will probably stand out without a conscious effort.

Having said all that, don’t cancel your mammogram! Do them both.

Dr. Bone

Please take advantage of the following videos of Dr. Melanie Bone explaining both a stand up and laying down breast self exam.

Weirdest Cancer Ever

Dear Dr. Bone,

My cousin and I were trying to figure out what type of cancer is the weirdest. Is there really cancer of the fingernail? The hair?

J&J

Cousins

Dear J&J,

Yes, you can get cancer of the fingernail. While it is rare, it does happen. Fungal infections of the nail are very common and cause deformities that have been misdiagnosed as cancer. Traumatic injuries to the nail also cause a discoloration that can be confused with cancer. The most common cancer of the nail is melanoma. It looks like a change in the color of the nail, usually tan to black. Unfortunately it can be misdiagnosed as a nail injury and overlooked. A good rule of thumb (get it!) is to wait until the nail grows. If the lesion does not go away with the nail growth, get it checked out. I suggest seeing a dermatologist.

Hair does not get cancer, but the hair follicle from which the hair grows is susceptible to cancer. Remember, in order to get cancer, there needs to be live cells that divide and a blood supply to the area. Hair has neither of these.

Keep sending more questions.

Dr. Bone

No Scary Hairy: 100% profits donated to Cancer Schmancer

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Lean On Lavender, The Color Of All Cancers,
Cancer Shop USA Team

Plastic Bottles and Cancer

Dear Dr. Bone,

 I drink a lot of water everyday and got nervous when I was sent a message on-line that drinking water out of plastic disposable bottles, especially if they are hot after being left in the car, poses a risk for developing breast cancer. I even read that Sheryl Crowe thinks this might be why she got breast cancer. Is there any truth to this?

Heavy on H20

Delray Beach

Dear Heavy,

First let me remind you that although water is healthy to drink, Americans (and many of my patients!) think that they need to drink large amounts of water each day to cleanse and “detoxify” their systems. The truth is that the human body does not need quite as much water as one would think and those people that drink water only when they are thirsty are no less healthy. I do see women who are depleted of electrolytes because they drink too much water and urinate so much that they lose potassium and sodium along the way, so be careful.

As for the association between plastic water bottles and cancer, the answer is a bit complicated.  There are different plastic bottles. The pliable ones that are designed to be disposable are made of PET (polyethylene teraphthalate), or a #1. This type of plastic is used in many different products and appears to be safe. The hard plastic bottles (like Nalgene or Lexan) are made out of BPA (bisphenol A). There is controversy about this compound. Some scientists believe that BPA acts biologically like estrogen and could promote estrogen-related cancers.

Until more definitive studies are done, it is best not to take any chances. The “green” advice is to use glass, or an old-fashioned thermos (lined with glass). It is better for the earth and, to my knowledge, glass has not been associated with any particular health hazards.

Dr. Bone