PinkemPower Blog

I haven’t posted here for a while because I have been incredibly busy holding workshops and doing individual health and nutrition counseling sessions. If you’ve been reading my blog posts you are well aware that I feel that diet and lifestyle changes are necessary to prevent breast cancer, and breast cancer recurrences–no matter what other treatments you should choose. Because of that I went back to school to study holistic nutrition, completed the publication of a nutrition/cookbook and started a new business called Empowered Health Resource.  I have a sister web site www.empoweredhealthresource.com and a newsletter that I urge you to sign up for ( just shoot me an email and I’ll add you yo the newsletter list). As always–my mission is to empower you with knowledge so that you can make the best decisions regarding your health.  From now on, I will only be posting here when information is specific ONLY to breast cancer, such as the information below.

NEW TEST WILL MAKE CHEMO MORE EFFECTIVE

If faced with the decision to undergo chemotherapy treatments, would you have chemotherapy if you knew it wouldn’t work?  Of course not. Would you like to take a test to see if your cancer would be killed by the chemotherapy drugs before you make your decision? Of course you would.  That test is available to all women with breast cancer, but the National Cancer Institute, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the FDAis trying to stop you from knowing about it. Why? Because it will cut drug company profits on chemotherapy by nearly 50%.

This test is called a Tumor Chemosensitivity and Resistance Assay. This test will test your specific cancer cells ( no two cancers are identical) against the chemotherapy drugs prescribed by your oncologist to see if they will actually kill your cancer cells, and if not, other drugs will be tested on your cancer cells to determine which ones will kill them. Now doesn’t that sound like  a smart thing to do?  This test is done routinely in Europe.

Currently in the US, when chemotherapy is prescribed for breast cancer, it is not known wether it will work or not ( which is why it has a much lower rate of success here than it does in Europe).  Chemotherapy drugs are prescribed based on the fact that  in studies, they did work for a small percentage of women, but that they didn’t work at all for another percentage.  In other words, it’s a crap shoot.  But you can now demand ( and you will have to demand it–and probably pay for it yourself) a test to see if you will be in the percentage of women for whom the chemotherapy drugs will work.

Think of it this way—if diagnosed with breast cancer today, your breast cancer tumor is tested for hormone receptor status ( ER+, PR+, HER +  ER-, PR-, HER -). That wasn’t always the case.  About 10 years ago, if diagnosed with breast cancer, all women were put on Tamoxifen. But Tamoxifen didn’t work for a sizable percentage of women.  So they started testing the cancer tumors against the drug Tamoxifen and discovered that it only worked for estrogen receptor positive breast cancers. Oncologists stopped prescribing it to women without ER+ breast cancer because it didn’t work for them and has terrible side effects.  This same principle—-testing for effectiveness—it what the chemosensitivity assay is all about.  If this test becomes standard, the results will be that some women will not get chemotherapy because they will not benefit from it, some women will be given a different– and effective– drug cocktail from the one initially prescribed by their oncologist, and those women that do receive chemo will know for sure that it will kill their cancer cells. All of those situations are positive for the patient.  But the drug industry has already calculated that it will reduce their profits by 50%. And that is why you will have to demand this test. Beware—your oncologist has already been “schooled” by the drug companies in how to give you a false argument against having it.

For much more information on this test, including facts you need to know in order to stand your ground when demanding to have this test run, labs that can run the test and specifics on various cancers, read Customized Cancer Treatmentsby Ralph W. Moss, PhD.

New Drug for Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Recently in the news was  fanfare over a new chemotherapy drug called Iniparib, that is suppose to be effective for triple negative breast cancer.  Phase II clinical trials showed this drug to be  effective in prolonging overall survival by 5 months (still not really effective by my definition).  So the drug was rushed on to the next stage of clinical trials, the larger stage III trials.   These trials did not show the same positive results.  Could it be a case of deja vous?  Just like with the drug Tamoxifen, maybe what’s needed here is some chemosensitivity testing to see why the drug worked for some women but not others—to determine what is different about their breast cancer cells.

I don’t know about you, but this constant concern over profit vs a real cure for breast cancer is getting quite old—and this newest twist in trying to deny this form of testing can only be stopped by women demanding to have the test performed!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/WEIRD-FOODS.html?soid=1104055512398&aid=5WXD9o0qc3w.

Click on the link above to read my latest Health-E-Newsletter.

Happy Holidays!

Sheryl

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Health-E-News.html?soid=1104055512398&aid=2PIVTsf-StM.

Click on this link to read my latest Health-E-Newsletter.

Sheryl

Give the Gift of Health this Holiday Season!  

Give someone you care about a gift certificate for the cookbook THREE PLATES AT THE TABLE, by Sheryl Ellinwood and Jamilee McQuivey.

Three Plates at the Table is no ordinary cookbook! At over 400 pages, it includes insightful nutritional information that will help you better understand which foods promote health and those that promote disease.

But this is not a book that makes you give up good food and eat bland tasting “healthy” food.  The more than 200 recipes show you that food that is good for you can also taste great! Recipes range from standard dishes like Macaroni and Cheese and Meatloaf to exotic Thai and Indian dishes. This is also not a cookbook that makes you follow one dietary principle   ( all low-fat, all vegetarian, all raw food, etc).  It is based on eating the healthiest foods in their healthiest form.

And YES, it includes desserts! Lots of healthy desserts including the most amazing ice cream you’ve ever tasted.

If you are already well on your way to healthier eating, this cookbook holds much for you too.  Recipes for fermented foods and nut cheeses and milks will delight you.

Three Plates at the Table is formatted in a truly unique way; all recipes have 3 levels or three versions.  You decide which level you want to follow depending on where you are in changing your diet, your goals, and your personal food preferences.

Three plates at the Table will be published in late January 2011, but GIFT CERTIFICATES are available NOW for this holiday season.

Gift Certificates are $26.  A lovely gift certificate will be mailed to the recipient of your choosing and they will receive the book in late January.

Want to order it for yourself?  Take advantage of the introductory price of $26 from now until February 1, 2011. ( Price is $30 after February 1).

For more information or to order go to www.empoweredhealthresource.com and look under BOOKS.

Happy, Healthy Holidays!

Sheryl Ellinwood
owner, Empowered Health Resource

It’s that time of year again!  No matter how much you try to eat healthy all year, the holidays just seem to sabotage all your best efforts.

Here are a few suggestions and a couple of recipes that will still make you feel like you have indulged in all the holiday fare–without all the guilt!

Holidays = sugar. All those cookies and pies–oh My!  Here’s a simple suggestion that can make just about any dessert a little less sinful. Replace the granulated or brown sugar in a recipe with agave and stevia. Take the amount of sugar called for and use 1/2 that amount of agave. For every 1/2 cup agave used add 1 TSP powdered stevia.  For example,  if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, instead use 1/2 cup agave and 1 TSP Stevia.  Reduce any other liquid in the recipe by 25% and reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees.

It can’t be Thanksgiving without stuffing/dressing. Instead of white bread use whole grain whole wheat bread in your stuffing.

Top that pumpkin pie with real whipped cream instead of that non-dairy topping in the plastic tub. .  The artificial ingredients and bad fats in that plastic tub concoction are much worse for you than real dairy whipped cream.

Make your own Cranberry sauce using real cranberries, orange juice or zest and stevia and agave.  Many canned cranberry sauces contain High Fructose Corn Syrup–a very unhealthy sugar.

Every recipe seems to call for butter-–and lots of it!  Replace all your butter with Earth Balance ( not Smart Balance) vegan butter substitute.  You won’t be able to tell the difference—but your heart will!

Who doesn’t love gravy and mashed potatoes?  But gravy is nothing more than fat, flour and water.   Below are two recipes from the cookbook, Three Plates at the Table*  that offer healthier versions of  those two favorites, without  sacrificing  flavor.   The Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” taste exactly the same as mashed potatoes (even better) and the Sinfully Rich Brown Gravy definitely lives up to it’s name.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

1 head organic cauliflower, broken into Florette’s
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 TSP Celtic sea salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add cauliflower and garlic.  Cook until the cauliflower is very soft.
Drain in a colander.  Place the cauliflower and garlic bits in a blender.  Blend until smooth ( add a little milk only if it is too thick to blend—which it rarely is).

Put the blended cauliflower in a baking dish.  Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.  ( You can also stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese).  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sinfully Rich Brown Gravy

1 1/2 cups dry red wine
4 TBSP Tamari
2 TBSP agave
2 TBSP red Miso
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 onion, finely diced
12 oz mushrooms, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 TBSP grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk ( or dairy milk)

Mix together the first 5 ingredients and set aside. This is your “sauce”.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute until soft, slightly browned and they emit their juices. ( Covering the pan while sauteing helps.)

Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the “sauce” and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the milk and continue to cook for another few minutes.

Dissolve the arrowroot or cornstarch in the 1/4 cup water.  Stir the mixture into the gravy. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens.  Remove from heat when thickened.

* the cookbook, Three Plates at the Table will be published in January 2011 ( for more information go to www.pinkempower.com).    Want to give it as a Christmas gift?  Gift certificates are now available.  The cookbook will be shipped for free to your designated recipient.  Book price is $26.  Contact Sheryl@pinkempower.com to order or contact  Empowered Health Resource PO Box 197  Pella, IA 50219    ph 641 . 842 . 5334

In-Depth Breast Cancer Workshop

… for any woman ever diagnosed with breast cancer

Monday November 15  6-8:30 PM

709 Main Street Pella, Iowa ( Veel Hoeden Bldg)

Cost $25

seating limited

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you cannot afford to miss this workshop. It could save your life!

The unfortunate truth is that once diagnosed with breast cancer, you are always at risk for recurrence–regardless of the treatment you choose.

Breast cancer is not caused by “bad luck” , and rarely by genetics ( less than 10% of all breast cancers are genetic). Breast cancer is caused by one or many imbalances in your body. If those imbalances are not identified and corrected, you are at a much higher risk than you should be for a recurrence. Unfortunately, most breast cancer patients just take a wait-and-hope-for-the-best approach after their initial treatment, and follow up tests are only done to detect a recurrence or metastases, not to prevent it. Most women don’t know there is a lot they can do to fight this disease.

The good news is that you do have power over this disease.

There are tests you can take to determine what imbalances may have caused your breast cancer. There are many specific protocols you can follow that have been studied and proven effective in preventing recurrences—protocols from food choices to specific supplements and more. There is a wealth of information that you will not hear from your doctors–but you need to know.

This in-depth workshop will start by giving you foundational knowledge about breast cancer, including your specific type of breast cancer. Pros and cons of different treatment options will be discussed. Tests that you should be having will also be discussed along with the findings of some of the latest research. Complete information will be given about specific protocols that can prevent recurrence and/or make your treatment more effective and less toxic. You will gain knowledge that will lower your risk of breast cancer recurring.

This is the information you need in order to truly be a survivor!

This workshop is presented by Sheryl Ellinwood, author of Empowered, A Woman-to-Woman Guide to Preventing and Surviving Breast Cancer, owner of Empowered Health Resource, medical researcher and breast cancer survivor.

Call Sheryl at 641 . 842 . 5334 to register or for more information

OR email sheryl@pinkempower.com.

Not able to attend?  This workshop may become available on CD.  Contact me if interested.

If you’ve had a mastectomy and opted not to have reconstruction, you may be wearing a prosthesis (or two).  One of my blog readers sent me information about a woman who makes hand-knitted prostheses. She uses soft cotton baby yarn. They are comfortable, washable and come in sizes A, B, C and D for $15 each.  You may contact the woman who makes them for more information:  Dee Kirkpatrick phone: 515 . 468 . 8434   email: billanddee2@gmail.com.

Pass this info on to anyone you feel might be interested.

It’s that time of year again, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  It seems that everything is swathed in pink and women ( and many men) are all out running and walking “for the cure”.  Even though I am a breast cancer survivor, you will never see my wearing or buying anything with a pink ribbon on it.  Nor will I be running or walking in any breast cancer fund raisers.  And I really had to think long and hard about naming this site pinkempower. ( The good reasons outweighed the bad.)  So what’s my problem?

I hate to break it to you, especially if you are suiting up this weekend to go run a 5k for a breast cancer fund raiser, but Breast Cancer Awareness Month was started by the drug company AstraZenec.  AstraZEneca was owned by Imperial Chemical Industries, a worldwide manufactured of cancer causing pesticides and other toxic chemicals.  Chlorine is one of those toxic chemicals as is polyvinyl chloride, which has been directly associated with causing breast cancer.  AstraZEneca also manufactures Tamoxifen, a drug used to “treat” women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer.  The World Health Organization, California EPA and the National Institute for Environmental Health  all classify Tamoxifen as a carcinogen.   So we have the maker of cancer causing chemicals also making the cancer causing drugs used to treat women who get breast cancer.  I think the marketing term for this is “vertical integration”–where the company controls all aspects of that market.

It gets worse.  In exchange for their “funding” of the national awareness campaign, AstraZenec gets to control  all  promotional materials for Breast Cancer Awareness Month ( flyers, posters, commercials, etc).  This control makes sure that no message about the true causes of breast cancer ( environmental toxins, pesticides in food, synthetic hormones in food and poor dietary habits which create hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies) are ever mentioned.  Instead, the myths that breast cancer is mostly genetic, or that  no one knows why breast cancer rates are increasing, are perpetuated.  This of course allows the biggest myth of all to continue; that these drug companies need YOUR money to find that illusive “cure” for breast cancer.  It’s a bate and switch where women’s good intentions in supporting the many “pink” campaigns has turned into lots of “green” ( $$) for the drug companies.   Most other breast cancer fund raisers are really only raising money to promote more mammograms–which can increase a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer—and what little “research” they do fund is going to drug companies to develop more expensive, and not more beneficial drugs.

The American Cancer Society is no better.  They claim poverty but sit on millions of dollars in reserves in their bank account.  The board of directors of this  organization is also headed by many drug company executives.

So are all breast cancer organizations frauds?  No, but it can be awfully hard to tell.  The bigger they are, the more likely they are to be in bed with the drug companies.

Here are some organizations WORTH your support:

www. breasthealthproject.com

www.breastcancerchoices.org

The Susan G. Love Foundation

www.ewg.org ( this group researches toxic chemicals and fights to get cancer causing chemicals removed from our environment)

Better yet, start an organization in your area to raise money for women who need help paying medical bills for breast cancer treatments, or who need services while they are undergoing treatments for breast cancer.

For more information go to www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org

I know this is incredibly short notice, but a movie that will change your life is premiering in Des Moines Iowa at the Fleur Theatre Sept 29 and 30th ONLY!!  Click on the link below to watch a trailer of the movie.   www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kYXrvNkdSc Frank, the star of the movie will also be here!  Frank changed his life by changing his diet; this movie is his story, and could be yours too.  Tickets available at the theatre, at Fresh Cafe in Des Moines and through

www.enrgPATH.com.

We should all incorporate more raw food meals into our diets.  If you are interested in learning more about “raw food”—why it’s healthy , how it tastes and how to prepare it yourself—this is the workshop to attend.

This 6 hour workshop will be taught by raw food chef, Sheree Clark.  I’ve attended her workshops and they are fabulous—as is the food!  This workshop is in Des Moines Iowa, so if you live close, contact Sheree for more informarion at sheree@fork-road.com.