Kindness

Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

Author Unknown but greatly appreciated!

Image source here

The Pearl Necklace

 

It had happened again! Claire made a stunning entrance this morning. She came to the office wearing a beautiful pearl necklace. Last week it was a new mink coat. Today, this elegant piece of jewelry. We did not even have to ask. Her new boyfriend was very, very generous. She never told us much, but we suspected that he was a married man. 

The office gossip thrived on women like Claire. She wasn't very attractive, but had the certain je ne sais quoi that enslaved any man who would approach her. We were jealous. 

During lunch Beth told me that she had a plan. She would be wearing a necklace just like that by the next week. Not that her husband, who never remembered birthdays or anniversaries, would get such an idea all by himself, but she had a plan. 

After office Beth did not grab the usual Chinese take-out on her way home. She decided to cook the dinner herself. Something she never did on weekdays. When her husband came home, he was more than surprised. What was the occasion? Did he forget another anniversary? Beth was smiling mysteriously, but did not look upset when he did not produce any flowers. So, maybe this was the new way to put some spice into their relationship. The therapy wasn't really working. He still loved her, but his job was too demanding and she did not give him enough support. The tears, the jealousy, the complaints... Maybe the trip to Hawaii would change everything. Second honeymoon, Dr. Zimmerman told them.

The dinner was fabulous. She did not even cook like that on Sundays, but it had to be extraordinary. She was on a special mission. Her husband looked surprised and a bit tense, but did not question her. The evening was very pleasant and they even went to the movies. Like in the old days. 

Three days later Beth came to the office with swollen eyes. She looked awful. She probably was crying for the whole night. We did not dare to ask. Maybe later she would tell us what happened. She was working quietly at her desk and did not talk to anyone. I could not bear it. I got us two lattes and suggested we take a short break. She was grateful, but broke down as soon as I handed her the coffee. Between sobs she told me what happened. 

She had the wonderful idea of telling her husband that she wanted to have a pearl necklace, just like Claire's. She was a cunning woman and decided that asking him for it would sound like an extortion. Especially now when their relationship was falling apart. She wanted him to take the initiative. The morning after their beautiful dinner together she woke up and told her husband that she had a very strange and mysterious dream. She dreamed that they were in some kind of beautiful place and that he gave a beautiful pearl necklace. She was very surprised and wanted to know what was the meaning of this dream. Her husband was just as puzzled, but did not say anything. 

Last night he came home and gave her a small beautifully wrapped gift. She could not believe her eyes. This was the first time in years that he thought of her. Well, not quite. She coerced him to buying her this gift, but this wasn't important right now. She already saw the faces of her colleagues admiring her pearl necklace. What was she supposed to wear? The beige tween-set or a dress. But which one? 

She took the box and kissed her husband. She felt loved again. Another beautiful evening. Maybe things would work between them after all. Jack felt good about himself. It took so little to make a woman happy. He went to the kitchen to get the drinks. She couldn't wait to open the gift and tore the wrapping apart. At first there was a silence and then, a loud scream. She just could not believe her eyes. "The Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud! First edition...

By Dominique Allmon

The Pearl Necklace by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How to Prevent Breast Cancer

Breast cancer-free for life

October is the month dedicated to the awareness and prevention of breast cancer. Like many other cancers, breast cancer is preventable and curable. Unfortunately, modern life styles, lack of knowledge  and late detection, more often than not, lead to the high mortality rate of breast cancer victims.

Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breast tissues. It usually forms in the ducts that carry milk to the nipples and in the glands that make milk (lobules). This life-threatening disease affects mostly women, but also more and more men. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world. 

There are many factors that lead to cancer and any nutritional and lifestyle approach to prevent it must address them all. Anti-cancer nutritional program has three goals:

• strengthen the immune system
• avoid or neutralize carcinogen
• protect DNA and prevent cellular damage

Even with all the advances in both, the diagnostic medicine and the pharmaceutical technology, the mortality rate for breast cancer remains very high. And while the medical establishment still quarrels about the role of food in the disease genealogy and prevention, the nutritionists are aware of the fact that nutrients have been used to cure and prevent disease since thousands of years. And although nutrition cannot be the sole cure for cancer, healthy nutrition, rich in fresh fruit and vegetable, contributes to a stronger immune system and overall well being. 

Food compounds that have very high cancer-preventive potential are investigated in laboratory setting of many serious research institutions.

The anti breast-cancer diet should include high doses of:

• vitamin D3
  
• vitamin E
• vitamin C 
• calcium D-glucarate 
• omega-3 fatty acids
• oleic acid
• power foods such as pomegranate and raspberries
• cruciferous vegetables rich in the cancer fighting indole-3-carbinole
• curcumin found in turmeric 
• green tea
• graviola (soursop) 
• soy isoflavones
• flax rich in lingan
• medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake and maitake
• melatonin 
• spermidine
  

The above listed foods and supplements contain compounds that may act synergistically to promote breast health. Although the mechanisms of action are not yet fully understood, most of these compounds are very potent antioxidants and appear to promote apoptosis, or programmed cell death thus "exterminating" cancerous cells in the breast tissue. Some of them also reduce inflammation as well as the proliferation of blood vessels to the tumor, and even stop the metastasis or spread of cancerous cells in the body.

These potent foods act in synergy and prevent the DNA damage, inhibit growth and reproduction of cancerous cells in the body and help reduce inflammation. Consuming them on regular bases and adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet, and removing at the same time all foods that contain preservatives, additives, sugar, hydrogenated and saturated fat, and too much salt, should help your body to detoxify, alkalize and maintain proper pH balance. This is important step in cancer prevention as cancers cannot grow in alkaline condition.

Changes in your diet will also help you to lose weight, if you need to, and keep the weight off. Remember that obesity is one of the greatest risk factors for breast cancer and the lowest survival rate after the cancer have been treated.

If you suffer from hypothyroidism, make sure that you bring your thyroid hormones back to normal levels. Hypothyroidism precedes most breast disease. By taking control of this problem as soon as it appears, you will decrease your risk of developing breast cancer.

Learn how to do your own breast self-examination and perform it on a regular basis. A great majority of lumps are detected by the women themselves!

Advanced breast cancer does not respond well to therapy. Prevention is more important than ever. Implementing healthy eating habits and understanding how your nutrition affects your body, reducing saturated fat consumption, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, and exercising at least three to four times a week, is vital and will help you maintain a strong immune system.

And don't forget that a positive outlook is as important as your nutrition for your immune system to stay strong and your body to heal and repair all the damage that happens on cellular level long before any disease can be diagnosed.

By Dominique Allmon

*Information in this article is for educational purposes only! It is not meant to diagnose or cure a disease.

Breast Self Exam


How to Prevent Breast Cancer by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.