Sisters4Prevention Breast Cancer Stories and Survival

Breast Cancer Prevention News. Ann Fonfa founder of the AnnieAppleseedProject speaks on the dangers of processed foods to wellness especially for cancer patients. "From its inception, the Annie Appleseed Project decided to Challenge the Existing treatment paradigm, to Question the existing research methods and subjects, and to Propose new directions for both ending with true Integrative Oncology. Thus the program name Cheqpt, designed to bring complementary, alternative therapies to the mainstream as soon as may be, while serving as a place where all ideas are scrutinized." - Quote from her website.
The term “processed food” can cause some confusion because most foods are processed in some way. However, chemically processed foods often only contain refined ingredients and artificial substances, with little nutritional value. They tend to have added chemical flavoring agents, colors, and sweeteners.
These ultra-processed foods are sometimes called “cosmetic” foods, as compared with whole foods.
Some examples of ultra-processed foods include:
frozen or ready meals
baked goods, including pizza, cakes, and pastries
packaged breads
processed cheese products
breakfast cereals
crackers and chips
candy and ice cream
instant noodles and soups
reconstituted meats, such as sausages, nuggets, fish fingers, and processed ham
sodas and other sweetened drinks
Are processed foods bad for you?
Ultra-processed foods tend to taste good and are often inexpensive. They are addictive but have no nutritional value.
However, they usually contain ingredients that could be harmful if consumed in excess, such as saturated fats, added sugar, and salt. These foods also contain less dietary fiber and fewer vitamins than whole foods.
Highly processed foods can lead to weight gain, diabetes and obesity.
Processed foods and beverages are among the major sources of added sugar in the diet. Sweetened beverages are a particularly significant source; people tend to consume much more sugar than they realize in soft drinks.
The ingredients list on the back of processed food packaging is often full of unrecognizable substances. Some are artificial chemicals that the manufacturer has added to make the food more palatable. Rule of thumb - if you don't know what it is - don't eat it.
Ann serves on the board of directors for the National Breast Cancer Coalition and has been an active grant reviewer for journals and the Dept of Defense, for which she recruits other cancer survivors.
She is well-known for moving awareness forward. Ann spoke at events around the world and is very proud of her work.
She doesn’t take personal credit for the interest around Integrative oncology but she was the charter Advocate member of the Society for Integrative Oncology. It’s time is NOW.
Today many in oncology acknowledge the need and value for exercise, nutritional changes, handling stress and more.
Ann is one amazing lady!

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As many of you know, for the past ten years I have been a passionate advocate for what we dubbed, “The Pink Vaccine.“ This vaccine was developed at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio under the direction of Dr. Vincent Tuohy at the Learner Research Institute.

For the past four years, I have been honored to serve as a patient advocate for the Phase I clinical trial for Dr. Tuohy’s vaccine. It is with great pleasure and overwhelming excitement, that I can now announce and encourage patients to apply to participate in the Phase I clinical trial. Finally, this vaccine is transitioning from bench to bedside, and will be directed by Dr. Thomas Budd at the Taussig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic.

To participate in this trial, patients must meet the following criteria:

Ø Diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Ø Be Within three years of completing treatment

Ø NED – confirmed by their oncologist in writing to be No Evidence of Disease

Full details of the trial may be found on clinicaltrials.gov:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04674306?term=Cleveland+Clinic&cond=Triple+Negative+Breast+Cancer&cntry=US&state=US%3AOH&draw=2&rank=1

Those meeting the above criteria for participation may email: [email protected]

For more information, you may also visit my website: http://www.Sisters4Prevention.com or email me at [email protected].

I would like to thank everyone who donated or supported me in my advocacy efforts for this vaccine. You have always responded generously with your time and talent. Please know that this milestone in finding a cure for breast cancer by prevention would not have been possible without your love, efforts and support over the last ten years. Now friends the best is yet to come. We can finally test this vaccine and hope to Imagine a World Without Breast Cancer and realize that Prevention is the Cure.

#PinkVaccine #PreventionIsTheCure #BreastCancerVaccine #PreventBreastCancer

#PrimaryPrevention #StopBreastCancer #WorldWithoutBreastCancer

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Our immune system is the “clean up crew” which constantly surveys for foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. These harmful substances are called antigens. Our Immune surveillance system identifies these invaders, marks them, and calls out the cavalry, the T cells, to destroy them. Macrophages are large white blood cells that are an important part of the immune response. The word macrophage literally means “big eater”. Its job is to clean our bodies of microscopic debris and invaders. It’s an ameba like cell that patrols out bodies and “eats“ intruders. Macrophages are able to pull apart enemy cell proteins and present (identify them) them to T cells as invaders. So what are T-cells? They are cells produced in the bone marrow which spend some time maturing and developing in an organ in the chest called the thymus—this is why they are labeled T-cells, which stands for thymus-derived cells. Once they are mature, T-cells are released into the blood and lymph nodes to start work. When a T cell is presented an invader by macrophages, it then will call out the cavalry (antibodies) to eliminate the diseased cell or invader. Specific types of T cells have particular functions, with helper cells activating other cells of the immune system while cytotoxic T cells directly kill foreign cells (cancers) and viruses. How cancer cells evade the immune system has puzzled scientists for decades. When cells are/or become abnormal, macrophages are supposed to consume and destroy them. So how do these diseased and abnormal cells evade this important checkpoint designed to keep us healthy? How are these cancer cells allowed to fly under the immune system’s radar? To put it in simple terms, cancer cells somehow send out a “don’t eat me” signal to macrophages by expressing certain proteins on their cell surfaces therefore, “disguising themselves” and tricking the macrophage. These surface proteins expressed by the cancer cell bond to other proteins on the surface of the macrophages paralyzing their ability to destroy or consume the cancer. The result is they are not presented to the T cells for an immune response. Since the immune system (T cell) does not identify the cancer cell as an enemy, it does not generate an immune response and allows other cells like it to continue undetected. So, if cancer can evade our brilliant immune system, how can chemotherapy identify and kill cancer cells? The honest answer is ... it can’t. Chemotherapy works simply by killing cells that are rapidly dividing like cancer cells. Cancer cells need lots of glucose or sugar for the energy to divide. Every cell in your body uses blood sugar (glucose) for energy. But cancer cells use about 200 times more than normal cells. Chemotherapy is often administered in a glucose solution to entice cancer cells to absorb the treatment. Since they are hungrier and more aggressive, they “eat” the chemo first which is the objective of the treatment. The problem is that as well as killing cancer cells, chemotherapy also kills normal cells that are rapidly dividing like in the mouth, stomach and bowel (gut), skin, hair and bone marrow. Damage to these normal cells cause the side effects of chemotherapy. However, unlike cancer cells, normal cells can repair the damage and can recover. This is a total simplification of the complex immune response, but I hope it makes it understandable.

How Do Breast Tumors Evade the Immune System? - PHD Version by Dr. Vincent Tuohy, Immunologist. Please visit my website for the full transcript. https://www.sisters4prevention.com/post/how-does-breast-cancer-evade-the-immune-system-and-how-does-chemotherapy-work

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This podcast speaks to the confusion and stress that accompanies a diagnosis of breast cancer. The value of a second opinion is discuss and reasons for considering a breast cancer specialty hospital is reviewed. The author is a ten year survivor and offers vital information to support those recently facing this devastating disease,

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This podcast discusses in detail the challenges of recovering from a mastectomy, or in my case, mastectomies. It includes a detailed and honest discussion on issues concerning the care of drains and managing post mastectomy pain from drains and expanders. Strategies for managing pain and supplies which will help in these most challenging days of recovery are included.

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