Prevention

Absolutely! great answer...there is no one magic thing to do. Embracing spirituality and support as well as addressing the dietary deficiencies and toxic emotional patterns that are making us sick are incredibly helpful in our quest for wellness.
Please visit my post: Changing the Cancer Environment

http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/changing-the-cancer-environment/
I think this is the $64,000 question! I also think that there are some well-established domains in which you can work to optimize your wellness plan. A wellness plan is not only medical; it incorporates all areas of your well-being -- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. When I created my wellness plan, and as I continnue to update and refine it, I apply best practices to what works for me relative to nutrition, exercise, emotional support, and faith-based rituals.

My wellness plan was also my cancer protocol. After being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer I decided to devote myself, my body, my mind to heal itself. This meant meditation, tai-chi, healing by drumming, Qichong, exercising, and eating mostly plant food. I felt that I accomplished this very well and today am doing quite well in my cancer program. I contacted a naturopathic oncologist to help with all of this and to provide support with supplementation to boost my immune system and antioxidants. I also availed myself with naturopathic treatments such as vitamin c infusions. I also believe that cancer is a mental disease as well as physical one so incorporated programs to promote mental healing as well. Changing one lifestyle's is not an easy program but I feel, today, that it helped save my life. I did not avail myself to the traditional chemotherapy but concentrated of doing things that would help my immune system work more efficiently. In my experience, wellness planning must be based on a person's individual needs and meet the survivor wherever she is in her journey to recovery. It must also be flexible, and change as the survivor changes. Thus, while there are many dimensions to a comprehensive wellness plan, including physical, medical, emotional, social, and spiritual ones, a survivor's journey to wellness may not initially include all of these dimensions, and may start with any that seem most important.

For me, I started with the emotional and spiritual dimensions. I realized that my mind and body were very much out of balance, and that I needed to examine the patterns I had established throughout my life that were enabling bad habits in my body to lead to physical manifestations of deep emotional and spiritual blockages. I wrote about this recently in my blog: thrive-after-cancer.com. The brain is a pattern-making machine, and I initially embarked on "rewiring" the channels in my brain. This is work that continues everyday for me.

I agree that, for me personally, this was as much a psychological issue as anything. Yes, I believe I got a better cosmetic result which was a bonus, but having had lobular, it was my understanding that there was a higher rate of occurrence on the prophylactic side (Docs, is this still what the studies are saying? I haven't kept up on that one!) Like Elyn I was young (35) with a 3 1/2 year old so my decision. On the other hand, I tested BRCA negative. The good news for me is that while we know there are no guarantees, my pathology in the "healthy" breast was not good, so no regrets. However, what I was unable to take into account is what it would mean down the road to have lost both nipples and almost all sensation in both breasts, and that loss is often part and parcel with intimacy. YES, I am glad to be alive, and yes it was a price worth paying. But I might have processed it differently at the time, and involved my husband in more of the decision, had I thought that part through... If the woman is young (i.e. pre-menopause) and has any family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer (on the maternal or paternal side of the family), she should consider genetic counseling and testing. Genetic testing can determine if she carries an inherited genetic mutation that caused her cancer. In that case, a bilateral mastecomy is recommended because her chances of getting cancer in the unaffected breast are very high.

Unfortunately there is not a definitive answer for this question, but the general belief is that the best way to help prevent cancer is to exercise and eat a low calorie diet containing fiber, fruits, and vegetables.

As well, it is recommended to avoid environmental risks such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, sun exposure, as well as air and water pollution.

Here is an excellent general article on cancer prevention.
http://www.cancerquest.org/introduction-cancer-prevention

I will research further environmental risks and post later. This is a very complex topic. While there is no food that can guarantee a relapse, there are foods that are healthier then others. A change in your diet can give you the proper nutrients to build a strong immune system.

Fresh raw vegetable juice, which is made from a juicer and not bottled, is an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients. Carrots. celery, beets, fennel, cucumber, parsley and broccoli are all recommended. (Carrots have a high Glycemic rating so do not drink more then a pint a day.) Fruit juice is not a good idea to add in unless it is an apple, as fruits are too high in sugar.

Avocados are an excellent source of fat in the diet (which we all need). All of the foods that are toted as bad for you are: fast food, cakes, cookies, processed foods, etc so have those items as treats only.

Here are a few articles about healthy diets. Take from them what you feel comfortable with:

http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/dietaryguidelines.asp
http://crazysexydiet.com/

Preventing a yeast infection during breast radiation treatment, chemotherapy, or during the healing process is essential.

Yeast infections occur in warm, moist, and dark locations on the body surface and skin. To prevent yeast infections or alleviate the symptoms, here are a few tips:

- Keep the area around and under your breasts dry and clean using non perfume, non-antibacterial, non harsh soap with warm water.
- After cleansing, blow dry the breast area and armpit area with a hair blow dryer on warm temperature (this will also be healing).
- Dust the area around, between, and under the breast folds with cornstarch powders to keep the area dry and thus absorb extra moisture and prevent rubbing of the skin surfaces. (Examples of powders include baby powder made from corn starch or sifted kitchen corn starch, but do not employ talc).
- During the day and night make every effort to keep from having skin touch skin and try not to itch or scratch. Consider placing soft cotton under and around your breasts to keep the breasts separated and consider wearing soft loose fitting clothes.
- Wear bras that are soft, but also with enough support to uplift your breasts and keep them apart. Avoid bras or clothes made from nylon or rayon as they may trap sweat and moisture providing an environment for yeast infection to overgrow the natural skin flora.
-Be sure you shower after exercising as sweat trapped under your breasts likewise provides an ideal environment for yeast to grow.
-A well balanced diet is important as well as eating yogurt that has not been heat treated and contains lactobacillus.
- Over the counter anti-fungal creams (such as athlete's foot medicine) may help and are available in pharmacies or pharmacy sections of drug stores. Preventing a yeast infection during breast radiation treatment, chemotherapy, or during the healing process is essential.

Yeast infections occur in warm, moist, and dark locations on the body surface and skin. To prevent yeast infections or alleviate the symptoms, here are a few tips:

- Keep the area around and under your breasts dry and clean using non perfume, non-antibacterial, non harsh soap with warm water.
- After cleansing, blow dry the breast area and armpit area with a hair blow dryer on warm temperature (this will also be healing).
- Dust the area around, between, and under the breast folds with cornstarch powders to keep the area dry and thus absorb extra moisture and prevent rubbing of the skin surfaces. (Examples of powders include baby powder made from corn starch or sifted kitchen corn starch, but do not employ talc).
- During the day and night make every effort to keep from having skin touch skin and try not to itch or scratch. Consider placing soft cotton under and around your breasts to keep the breasts separated and consider wearing soft loose fitting clothes.
- Wear bras that are soft, but also with enough support to uplift your breasts and keep them apart. Avoid bras or clothes made from nylon or rayon as they may trap sweat and moisture providing an environment for yeast infection to overgrow the natural skin flora.
-Be sure you shower after exercising as sweat trapped under your breasts likewise provides an ideal environment for yeast to grow.
-A well balanced diet is important as well as eating yogurt that has not been heat treated and contains lactobacillus.
- Over the counter anti-fungal creams (such as athlete's foot medicine) may help and are available in pharmacies or pharmacy sections of drug stores.