Tuesday, June 28, 2011

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TEST

As my treatment is coming to an end, I thought this would be an interesting piece to read.  You go to your to doctor and you find out that he just came back from climbing Mount Mckinley in Alaska.  Well, it happened to me!  Its an amazing thing to hear what passion your doctor has for healing people and also climbing.  See attached article that was in the local Mexican paper, of course I translated to English.


Another successful test

To Anaya was the first expedition of great magnitude since amputated six toes freezing in his ascent of Mount Everest, also represented the fourth of the seven highest summits per continent . The lawyer had a thorn in the McKinley climb, and found a good partner in Dr. García de León.



Carlos Aguirre Barajas


Smooth freezing or inclement weather, Ignacio Anaya and Juan Manuel Garcia de Leon successfully completed the expedition to Mount McKinley in Alaska, the coldest mountain in the world. They were fortunate to get to summit on a windless day, but with an unfortunate encounter with death.

To Anaya was the first expedition of great magnitude since amputated six toes freezing in his ascent of Mount Everest, also represented the fourth of the seven highest summits per continent. The lawyer by profession was a thorn to climb McKinley, and found a good partner in Dr. García de León.

"Fortunately I went to a doctor healthy, join a guarantee from people who know the environment and the problems that may arise, and know how to identify symptoms of health problems," said Anaya.

Garcia de Leon is not new to climbing, has 21 years of practice, but found no companion for an expedition like this, until he received an invitation from Anaya.

"I have the condition with Ignacio, but I have strength for long walks," said the doctor, "what I did was soak up information and discuss the route we were going to rise, based on that you start training, data as graphs of calories, workouts, exercise bike, gym, walking up and load the weight Rumorosa in walks five to six hours and twenty or thirty kilos in the backpack to go to strengthen the ankles, "he said.



After five months of planning and training, departed on May 27 where the mercury recorded temperatures of 35 degrees below zero. Ignatius did not hesitate to take precautions, used new shoes, locals recommend using neoprene coating and used four pairs of socks. To promote circulation, consumed garlic.

West Buttress route taken, a path with the presence of rangers and the busiest in the absence of potentially dangerous technical steps



"Although it has two exposed areas such as Denali Pass and the area of cracks between the camp and the camp two three, we chose that route to be more defined, not to be so far away, as in other routes. Also enjoy beautiful landscapes, "said Anaya.

The Baja California had no problems, however, witnessed a death. Brian Young, Brian Young, a businessman originally from Alaska, was on an expedition that was aborted by the leader's health problems Young decided to continue without his group and joined Garcia de Leon Anaya. He accepted the pace of Mexicans to pursue his dream of 25 years, to climb McKinley. García de León, a physician, noticed some signs that something was wrong.

He left the bag on a flat surface to rest and said returning to base camp to swim in the hotel, and consistency was not what he said.

"I began to question, asked him where was his name, the names of his sons and said everything was apparently normal," he told Dr. García de León, "later told me 'I was hesitating,' then I did not know if it was true We decided to go and half of the slope staggered. "



They decided to use protective ropes and calm to talk and see the welfare of Young, reaching the summit at 1:40 am, in a world where there is quite dark and the sun is seen as if the sunset. After taking photos of fact, Young had vomiting that was credited to energy drinks I was consuming. On the descent down three times, and the string saved him from death by accident at Denali Pass.

Returning to Camp Five, had passed 18 hours of walking, they came to rest in separate tents. Young, who was installed along with some boys, suffered breathing problems and died. . Yet the body down when Anaya Garcia de Leon departed and had to break the news to the family.

"It is understood that in this sport often happens, many people will not come back, sometimes by a simple accident. I was aware there was a risk, we never imagined would happen, it is amazing, "Garcia de Leon.

"We saw a whole person, never thought it was sick. It's very hard to go back and break the news to their peers, talk with your child. When there is an accident, no logical explanation is more complicated to explain to the family. It touched me to see someone die so strong unnoticed. Leaves a great reflection on what can happen, especially the value of life, we must know each other very well and learn to not take unnecessary risks, "explained Anaya.

Speaking of that, you are more expeditions?

"Yes," replied laughing, "we will continue to escalate, I do not know which dates will be born a daughter in July, so I'll be busy. I have a list of remaining in Canada, Alaska and Bolivia, also I have an eye on the other eight thousand in the Himalayas. "

The expedition to McKinley was closely followed picacheros.com.mx through the portal, a community of enthusiastic climbers to climb Picacho del Diablo Anaya had a chance to climb the highest point of Baja California with Picacheros, including Eduardo Martínez Palomera Angel, who completed seven peaks in May to successfully climb Mount Everest along with John Glenn and Rick Salter, who also completed seven peaks. Martinez spoke with ZETA from Queretaro about how his career was in the mountains.

"In 1996 a friend, engineer Benjamin Cortez (RIP), invited me to climb Picacho del Diablo. It helped me to train in nearby mountains and along with other friends did peak in May of that year. . Continue climbing that peak several years and in 2002 I invited some friends to climb Mount Whitney in California In 2003 I was with John Glenn and Rick Salter a course in mountaineering to Mount Rainier in Washington. In 2004 we climbed Iztaccihuatl and Pico de Orizaba twice each It was when we decided to do the seven summits. "

- As for John and Rick, how they decided to climb together? Especially because it is not the first time they do ...

"I invited them up to the peak in 2000, Whitney and then decide together what followed. We are entrepreneurs and before we were friends, because together we take some courses in business administration. "

Martinez completed the circuit a year with a mountain: Aconcagua in 2005, then Elbrus, McKinley, Kilimanjaro, Vinson, Carstensz Pyramid and, finally, Everest in May this year.

"I would climb other mountains of over eight thousand meters in the Himalayas, but the risk is high and the family is not quite agree . At the moment I am finishing a book on the Seven Summits, but I'm not climb another mountain decides next year. "

- Being a businessman and you consider the cost of the expeditions, climbing is tilted ¿people of a certain economic or social status?



"You can say it is a limiting factor, but much of that scale get sponsorships from companies or the government. . Whoever wants to go, and it does not move, "he said.
(¯`♥´¯) .♥.•*¨`*♫.•
´*.¸.•´♥ "Sometimes we see things not as they are but as
we are: Love brings understanding...."


Yet More Proof That Grass-Fed Meat Is Better

You can get more heart-healthy omega-3s by choosing grass-fed meat over its industrial counterpart.
Grass Fed Meat
Think red meat is bad for your heart? Not if it comes from pastured animals: Grass-fed meat is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
PHOTO: FOTOLIA


The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition (volume 105, issue 01), not only confirmed again that red meat from animals “finished” on grass for the six weeks before slaughter contains significantly more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids than meat from grain-fed feedlot animals, but also demonstrated for the first time that healthy consumers who ate that grass-finished meat for only four weeks showed significant increases in blood levels of omega-3s compared with those eating grain-finished red meat. This is important news for several reasons.
Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in our diets, in part because they have a stabilizing effect on atherosclerotic plaques, which reduces the likelihood that the plaque will rupture and cause a number of heart and artery issues, including heart attack and death. These special fatty acids also reduce arterial inflammation and clotting. So, eating grass-fed red meat is actually good for your heart.
Eating only three portions of grass-fed red meat per week (about 18 ounces cooked) increased study participants’ omega-3 blood levels as much as some fish oils when factoring in cultural eating habits. Plus, the grass-finished cattle and sheep used in the study were offered grass for only the final six weeks of their lives, which means there may be even more potential for obtaining dietary omega-3s from red-meat animals that are finished on grass for a typical 120-day finishing period.
Critics will note that grass-fed red meat is no panacea, and they will be correct. Any dietary magic bullet has yet to be discovered, no matter what special interest groups want you to think. We do, however, have clear evidence that grass-fed red meat is better for us than industrial red meat in a number of additional ways.
  • Grass-fed meat has a significantly better fat and antioxidant profile than grain-finished meat. Even though the levels of saturated fats are similar, the specific saturated fats that are associated with harmful cholesterol levels are higher in industrial meat.

  • Grass-fed meat contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), which have been linked to reduced cancer rates, reduced arterial disease and reduced diabetes levels, among other benefits.

  • Grass-fed meats’ omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio is closer to the dietary ideal, meaning it’s better for your brain than industrial meat.

  • Grass-fed meat contains more vitamin A and vitamin E precursors than that of grain-fed animals.



  • At the end of the day, grass-fed red meats are leaner and contain proportionally more of many important nutrients that relate to good health. No surprise there, because ruminants evolved to eat forages, and humans evolved eating forage-fed ruminants.
    I’ve been eating grass-fed meat for years because I love the way it tastes and the way it grills up juicy and tender. The last time I ordered steak at a restaurant, I was presented with a beautiful piece of meat that was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. It was so tender that I could cut it with my table knife. I was expecting an explosion of flavor when I chomped down on the first bite, but yikes! All of that lovely potential was ruined by the foul flavor of feedlot. For me, better flavor is reason enough to go with grass-fed meat. The health and environmental benefits are just icing on the cake

    Sunday, June 26, 2011

    A WISH

    ~☆´A Wish .☆´ ✫* That Every Day °*”☆¸.•´¯`•.¸☆✫* For You `•.¸¸.☆¯`•.¸☆
    .✫* Will Be `•.¸☆✫* Happy From The Start `•.¸¸.☆¯`•.¸☆ ✫* And May You `•.¸☆✫* Always Have `•.¸¸.☆✫* Good Luck☆•☆ A Song Within Your Heart. `•.¸☆Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ¸. •*´¯`*• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ•*´¯`*•. Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ¸. •*´¯`*• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ•*´¯`*•.
    .✫*ܓ♥¸¸.☆┊ ┊★¸.┊.☆┊• ~♥.LOVE ¸.•´♥¸.┊ *┊ ★┊Sparkle ¸¸.☆

    Saturday, June 25, 2011

     ~Life doesn't happen TO you...It happens THROUGH you!~


    MY SATURDAY AT THE FACILITY

    Hello everyone.  Today was my first shot with the dendritic cells.  The chemist took blood from me last week and multipled them to fight the bad cancer cells.

    Here is a brief summary of what takes place :

    Dendritic cells (DCs) are a kind of the immune cells and as such it forms the part of the mammalian immune system. As far as the main process is concerned I must say that its main job is to process the antigen material and current it on the surface to other cells of the immune system, thus functioning as antigen-presenting cells.

    The dendretic cells are present in the small quantities in the tissues that are in contact with the external environment which is mainly the skin and the inner lining of the stomach, lungs, nose and the intestine. We can also find them in the immature state of the blood.

    As soon as they are activated they move to the lymphoid tissues where they react with the T cell and the B cells to initiate and shape the adaptive immune response. At definite expansion stages they grow branched projections, the dendrites that give the cell its name. However, these do not have any particular relation with neurons, which also have similar appendages. Undeveloped dendritic cells are also called veiled cells, in which case they possess large cytoplasmic ‘veils’ rather than dendrites.

    History

    Dendritic cells were first described by Paul Langerhans (Langerhans cells) in the late nineteenth century. It wasn’t until 1973, on the other hand, that the term “dendritic cells” was given by Ralph M. Steinman and Zanvil A. Cohn. In 2007 Steinman has been awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research for his discovery.

    Types of Dendritic cells

    There are generally two kinds of the dendritic cells. I must say that the two kind of the dendritic cells are myeloid and plasmacytoid which is also called the lymphoid.
    I would at first like to discuss the myeloid dendritic cells.
    1. Myeloid dendritic cells
    These are most similar to the monocytes. The MDC are made up of two subsets:

    • The more common mDC-1, which is a major stimulator of T cells.
    • The extremely rare mDC-2, which may have a function in fighting wound infection.
    2. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells
    These look like the plasma cells but have the certain characteristic of the myeloid dendritic cells.

    • Characteristic of the immature dendritic cells
    • High intracellular MHC II in the form of MIICs.
    • Expression of CD1a.
    • Active endocytosis for certain particulates and proteins; presence of FcgR and active phagocytosis.
    • Deficient T cell sensitization in vitro.
    • Low/absent adhesive and costimulatory molecules (CD40/54/58/80/86).
    • Low/absent CD25, CD83, p55, DEC-205, 2A1antigen.
    • Responsive to GM-CSF, but not M-CSF and G-CSF.
    • Maturation inhibited by IL-10.
    Similarly there are some characteristic of the mature dendritic cells and I must tell you that these cells are really of great importance.

    This time around in Tijuana, Dan and I have taken the free time before and after my treatments to see the sites.  I even had my hair cut the other day in one of the beauty salons in one of the malls not far from our hotel.  It was an adventure to go into a place and ask for your hair cut, while speaking another Language, but it was done.  Here is the new me!


    The other day was a special day for Ana, Dan and I  for we were able to spend some time and had lunch together in the cafe.  We all had leg of lamb Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm were they good.  After the chef ~ Daniel came in and asked if we have been pleased with the food.  I would rate his dishes as a five star.  Its organic and everyday something different, Its a surprise.  Here is a picture of Daniel , Ana , Dan and I.
      


    Its the week end ~ be safe and enjoy.

    Life is.

      
    "Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is a beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is life, fight for it."-Mother Teresa

    Thursday, June 23, 2011

    ANGELS ALL AROUND


    Beauty
    surrounds my soul
    with blessings of
    gifted angels all around.

    My heart has been
    reborn and new with
    gifted angels all around.

    Things happen for a
    reason that we can not predict
    through wisdom we grow with the help of
    gifted angels all around.

    I give thanks to my special friends
          through the treatment I have received for      without them I would not have had the   quality of life.
        They are my gifted angels.

    Thanks Vera, Manny and Ana for a wonderful evening.

    Today I was blessed with the company of awesome friends. I had a wonderful experience of being surrounded with love and beauty.






    HYPERTHERMIA PROCEDURE

    6-21-11

    Today was the day, Dan and I awoke about 6:30 a.m. to get ready for the shuttle to pick us up at the hotel to take us to the facility for breakfast. Its almost impossible to get organic food here in Tijuana. The chef, Daniel prepares us breakfast and an early dinner at the facility. Its always a surprise when we get into the café and see what is under the cover of the dish. Its always a pleasure to see what creation he has made for us.

    After breakfast we ran across Ana (patient) it was fate that brought us together again. There is so much that each one of us would like to do to educate the public on what is happening to us. This program is awesome and has given us the quality of life that we would have not had if it was not for Dr Perez, Dr Garcia, and Vera.

    My procedure was set to be done around 1:00 p.m., However it took place around 3:00 p.m.. Dr Garcia greeted us in the lobby and stated that it would be a little while that they were setting up the room for me. I was getting antsy and excited to see Vera again. Vera is the one behind the hyperthermia, for without her this would not take place.

    Well, it was time and a nurse came down and directed us to go up. As I approached the room I was greeted with a great big hug and was given a precious bracelet that looked like a miniature rosary. It was like I was never gone, time just stood still. I prepared to get ready and then it started. This time the procedure lasted three hours and of course went just like that. We just talked and talked before we know it the time was up. It sounds strange, but I didn’t want it to end, my friendship had grown and the knowledge and wisdom had also grown within that three hours. It was very special to me, for this was not just getting me better but I was among two passionate people that I have high admiration for Vera and Dr Garcia.

    Well, since Dan and I was unable to eat dinner for it was during my procedure, the café sent dinner to the room after the procedure. It was spaghetti with meat and sauce on top, was it ever good. The day had come to an end around 9:30 and we arrived to our hotel room around 10:00. Dan and I just crashed.

    Tomorrow the chemist will be drawing blood from me for the killer cell procedure.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday,

    ♥˚◦☼◦˚♥˚~¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚◦☼◦˚♥¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚◦☼◦˚♥¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚
    ☺░ H░ A░ P░ P░ Y░¸¸¸ ░ H░ U░ M░ P░¸¸¸░ D░ A░ Y░ ! ░☺
    ¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚◦☼◦˚♥˚¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚◦☼◦˚♥¸♫♪¸¸.•*¨*~˚♥˚◦☼◦˚♥¸♫♪


    Tuesday, June 21, 2011

    START OF BOOSTER TREATMENT

    6-20-11
    It’s Monday ~ and today was a overwhelming long day for me. It was the day that I had mixed  emotions for this was finally the day for the beginning of my booster treatment.
    It started out great, Dan and I was driven to the facility by a shuttle. The first thing that I was told was that the procedure to put the port in would be at 1:00. Good ;that meant that I had time to get breakfast. We headed to the café and was greeted with open hands. The last time I was there in the facility, there was this girl that would come in to deliver my afternoon and evening snacks and she was also in the café when we arrived this time. I could not believe that she remembered me for it has been almost six months since it was the last time there. She came over to me and gave me a big hug.

    The next thing I knew the chef came in and we discussed what type of dishes we would be eating for the next ten days. The first dish was a vegetable omelet with coffee ~ of course it was all organic. After breakfast we ran across one of my doctors and we hugged and spoke for awhile. The next surprise to me was another patient that was in the facility the same time I was in last time, Ana was in the café. I was able to spend sometime with her and was happy to see that she was doing awesome. She lives in Mexico and has done so much to spread FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE. I am so happy that I got to see her again and this time spend more time, since we both are doing much better.


    Well, It came time ~ it was 1:00 pm and Dan and I headed toward the emergency room where they were going to perform the port. As we approached the emergency room we were greeted by the coordinator of our stay, she apologies that the doctor that was going to perform the procedure had an emergency surgery and was going to be in about 2:30 pm, so we went back to the café to speak to Ana some more. We exchanged address and spoke of getting together with Vera my angel before we leave.

    Anticipation, to make a long story short, my procedure ended up being at 5:30, which the doctor came in apologizing several times for the delay, but he had said that he had an emergency surgery to perform.

    The day finally ended around 8:00, when we made it to our hotel room with some food that the chef had made before we left the facility. My night went some what smoothly. If any one knows, when you have a port, it really doesn’t hurt, its just pressure. Almost like a tooth that was pulled. Tomorrow I’m going to have my

    HYPERTHERMIA PROCEDURE.

    The concept for Hyperthermia perfusion is to warm up the patients blood slowly up to 42-43 degree celsius, which is Fahrenheit 107.6 degrees Celsius (42) or 109.4 C (43). This will be like having a mild fever.

    This procedure is continued for anywhere from one hour to two hours. This depends on the patients homodynamic stability and blood gas results. The flow is a very low flow, around 30 to 80 ml/min. A high flow is not necessary, just as long as it is continuous. A linear flow is better. This is done by providing a constant low flow at a warm temperature. The patient is awake and this enables the perfusionist and the doctor, who are both present the entire procedure; to monitor the patient closely.

    The console that provides the temperature and flow is regulated by perimeters dialed in. The patient has a monitor which reveals the: EKG, respiratory rate, arterial saturation and the blood pressure. ACT’s are run the length of the case to insure proper anticoagulation, so no clots form in the software.


    Contact info: VERA LOPEZ

    (619) 261-7582

    Vllady@aol.com

    UNTIL TOMORROW, HAVE AN AWESOME NIGHT








    SITE SEEING THROUGH TIJUANA MUSEUM

    Today Dan and I decided that we would check out some culture here in Tijuana, so we took a walk three blocks down the road to the museum. I was amazed at the findings and asked if I could take some pictures. I was told that I could without a flash and not of the pictures hanging on the wall. Quite surprised to see a huge collection of history, which included the Spanish, French, Americans, and even the Chinese. I was able to get some awesome pictures of the beginning history of Mexico to the time the Catholics began settling in. I was not aware of some of the things that I ran across for this was never brought up in any of my history courses in school. I was fascinated by what I saw and read. Here is a brief history and some awesome pictures of Mexico’s culture from the beginning to present. Enjoy!

    The history of Mexico, a country located in the southern portion of
    North America, covers a period of more than two millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, the country produced complex indigenous civilizations before being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th Century.

    Since the Spanish Conquest, Mexico has fused its long-established native civilizations with European culture. Perhaps nothing better represents this hybrid background than Mexico's languages: the country is both the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world and home to the largest number of Native American language speakers on the continent.

    In 1519, the first Spaniards arrived and absorbed the native peoples into Spain's vast colonial empire. For three centuries, Mexico was a colony, during which time its indigenous population fell by more than half. After a protracted struggle, formal independence from Spain was recognized in 1810. In 1846, the

    Mexican American War broke out, ending two years later with Mexico ceding almost half of its territory to the United States. Later in the 19th century, France invaded Mexico (1861) and set Maximilian I on the Mexican throne, which lasted until 1867. The Mexican Revolution (1910–1929) resulted in the death of 10 percent of the nation's population, but brought to an end the system of large landholdings that had originated with the Spanish Conquest.

    From the end of the Mexican Revolution, to the mid-1990s, Mexico was dominated by one political party, the authoritarian Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Beginning in the 1990s, the one-party political system established during the Mexican Revolution began to give way to a nascent democracy. True democracy was realized in the year 2000 with the election of Vicente Fox, the first president to not be from the PRI.

    The Catholic Church's influence was felt in the region when missionaries began arriving in 1523. The missionaries built many monasteries and converted millions of people to Catholicism.




















    Sunday, June 19, 2011

    HAPPY FATHER'S DAY


    HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

    Hello from Tijuana, Mexico! Dan and I just got in the other day and are settling in for Monday starts my treatments.
    I do have a thought for today, Why is it that the good and healthy things are not around for us, but the bad things are always around? While traveling in the states as much as in Mexico, I had a hard time finding organic foods. All they had were pesticide and poison foods. What’s with that! It is hard to better ourselves when we can not find the proper items to feed our bodies. I find that is discrimination for the sick and the ones that want to be natural and stay away from chemicals.
    What should we do? I think that every restaurant and every grocery store should have a section just organic. This way the one’s that want to stay away from chemicals are able to. Please help me fight for this plea. The universe needs to be more educated on what we eat and do, for our lives depend on it.

    Since I was DX with cancer, I have been researching not just on natural treatments, but on how we can maintain a healthy life style and still enjoy what we always have. We need to be more green and knowledgeable on what is available to us to keep a healthy immune system. I have had six months as well as wonderful doctors preach to me on the importance of our immune system. It starts with the water we drink to the foods we eat and the environment we live in. Help me make a stand to better all three things for the future of our children.

    We as a drop can make an ocean by starting to pass knowledge along that can better the future.

    As a father, start today in making sure that your children are getting the best and healthy foods by going organic.




    CASA BLANCA ~ OUR PARADISE IN AJIJIC MEXICO

    RELAXING, BEAUTIFUL, AND PEACEFUL. THIS IS A PLACE OF WONDER.


    Thursday, June 16, 2011

    For all of us who are alive, life is the real issue. Yet so often we judge our existence by the things that happen to us—by whether things are going our way or not. Sometimes we feel strong—strong enough to dictate our future. Sometimes we feel that we can make things happen. Then there are times when we feel totally helpless. But through all the dramas and bumps, there is life. There is the very powerful, very existence of every single human being”

    Prem Rawat


    LAST DAY IN AJIJIC MEXICO UNTIL NEXT TIME

    Greetings to all from Ajijic Mexico. This is our last day and we did some find factors for when we decide to move here. Wonderful area as well as the people.

    We checked out some rentals and were very pleased of what we found. There was this one place that we fell in love with, high above a hill and the scenery was breath taking. We were greeted by a couple that runs the complex. It was just converted to weekly, monthly and even longer time rental spans. This is just prefect for us, just what we were looking for. It was just what the doctor ordered you might say and not far from a Walmart.

    After our investigations Dan and I went to the hot springs for some therapeutic conditioning. There are some hot tubs not far down the road and had this nice cab driver take us to it, which we asked if he could pick us up at 5:00 p.m.; of course he replied without any hesitation. Prior to this day we were looking for a bathing suit for me, because YES I forgot mine in Florida ~ back home. Not far from the hot springs was a place on the side of the road where beach supplies where being sold such as tubes, suits and etc. Dan said, lets wander over there and see if there is anything that will fit. So, we went and this petite lady saw that we were looking at suits and started to pick out some for me. “Grande“, she would say and had some for me in her hand. I asked if I could try them on, well she did not speak English and our Spanish isn’t all that good. So Dan did some hand movement to show that I would like to try it on. There was this hotel next to her shop, which she pointed to. To make a long story short, I tried a couple on and took the best fitting one. Now we can go to the springs.

    This was a very different and a stress release experience. There were four tubs full of hot spring water which was bubbling. The first tub was salt water and we spent 15 minutes within it. Each tub was looking over the lake with the mountains on the other side. I could have taken a picture, but it would not show the beauty that my eye’s were seeing. The second tub had flowers of colors such as pinks and yellows. As I got in it the flowers where bubbling all around me and the smell was sweet. The third tub was this type of red flower that was for antitoxins to be removed from your body. As I submerged in it there was red bubbles coming up all around me, this felt funny. Then we were directed to an area where there were buckets of wet mud. We were told to apply it on all over our bodies and have it set until it dried. We had fun like little kids applying the mud on one another. This was enjoyable until it dried and started to itch. At that point we were directed to go to the forth tub to rinse off. Finally, the last step was a sauna, which we were directed to this cave like building. Inside were rocks all around within the center was a big stone with leaves of some plant circled around the rock with steam coming down all around us.
    This experience is something that you would read about that an actor or actress would have done on their vacation and you would read about in some magazine, It was awesome!

    To rap up my experiences here, I met a lot of nice people , a lot of very fine restaurants and breath taking landscapes. This is my future home some day.

    Tomorrow we go back to Guadalajara for two more days to rap up our time here on this side of Mexico until we fly to the other side for my treatments. Enjoy some of the pics that I was able to view from my own eyes. Until next time, enjoy and take each moment to heart.
















    Wednesday, June 15, 2011

    Higher Red Meat Intake May Increase Risk For Certain Breast Cancers

    ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2006) — Eating more red meat may be associated with a higher risk for hormone receptor--positive breast cancers in premenopausal women, according to a report in the November 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

    "Breast tumors are often characterized by hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptor status," the authors write as background information in the article, meaning that the cancer is classified by whether these hormones can bind to proteins on the surface of the tumor. "Although the incidence rates of hormone receptor--negative tumors have remained relatively constant, the incidence of hormone receptor--positive tumors has been increasing in the United States, especially among middle-aged women." The diets of American women may be linked to this increase, since some foods--including certain components of red meat--can contain hormones or hormone-like compounds that influence tumors through their hormone receptors.

    Eunyoung Cho, Sc.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues studied the association between red meat consumption and breast cancer in 90,659 women who were part of the Nurses' Health Study II, a large ongoing study of nurses who responded to an initial questionnaire in 1989. Dr. Cho and colleagues followed the women from 1991 (when they had an average age of 36) through 2003. The participants filled out food questionnaires in 1991, 1995 and 1999, on which they recorded how often they regularly consumed more than 130 different foods and beverages. Every two years, they reported whether or not they had developed breast cancer; reported cases were confirmed through hospital records and pathology reports. Only women who were premenopausal and had not previously had cancer were included in this analysis, and those who went through natural menopause or had their ovaries removed during the 12 years of the study were excluded after that date.

    By the end of the study, 1,021 women had developed breast cancer, including 512 cases that were estrogen and progesterone receptor positive, 167 that were estrogen and progesterone receptor negative, 110 with mixed status and 232 with unknown status. The highest intake of red meat was not significantly associated with the risk for breast cancer overall or for hormone receptor--negative cancers, but was associated with an increased risk for hormone receptor--positive cancer. Women who ate more than one and one-half servings of red meat per day had almost double the risk of hormone receptor--positive breast cancer compared with those who ate three or fewer servings per week. The associations remained similar when the researchers calculated red meat intake in grams instead of servings, and also when they split the women into five groups based on how much red meat they ate.
    "Several biological mechanisms may explain the positive association between red meat intake and hormone receptor--positive breast cancer risk," the authors write. Known cancer-causing compounds in cooked or processed red meat increase mammary tumors in animals and have been suspected of causing breast cancer in humans. In addition, cattle in the United States are treated with hormones to promote growth, which could also influence breast cancer risk. The type of iron available in red meat also may enhance tumor formation.

    "Given that most of the risk factors for breast cancer are not easily modifiable, these findings have potential public health implications in preventing breast cancer and should be evaluated further," the authors conclude.

    Blocking Common Gateway to Inflammation Suppresses Cancer

    ScienceDaily (June 13, 2011) — There is an intimate and complex relationship between inflammation and cancer; and it is well established that tumors secrete many different chemicals that attract host cells which drive inflammation and help to support tumor growth. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Cancer Cell identifies a single protein that is required for trafficking of immune cells involved in inflammation. The research opens up new avenues for  malignancy by disrupting the inflammatory response.
    "Tumors induce inflammatory responses that stimulate tumor survival and progression. Therefore, targeting tumor inflammation could provide substantial therapeutic benefit to most, if not all, cancer patients," says senior study author, Dr. Judith A. Varner from the University of California, San Diego. "However, effective suppression of tumor inflammation requires identification and targeting of mechanisms that are common to the many diverse inflammatory pathways that are activated during tumor growth."

    In their study, Dr. Varner and colleagues investigated the mechanisms that control tumor growth and inflammation by looking at molecular signals that are commonly activated by multiple diverse tumor-derived chemical signals. The researchers made the unexpected discovery that a single enzyme called PI3Kinase gamma served as a convergent point for a wide range of signaling pathways that controlled both tumor inflammation and progression.

    A variety of experimental approaches with mouse and human cells demonstrated that disrupting PI3Kinase gamma prevented invasion of inflammatory cells into the tumor. Tumors developed more slowly and metastasis was suppressed in mice lacking PI3Kinase gamma even though cancer cells did not express PI3Kinase gamma and inhibitors had no direct effect on the tumor cells. The PI3Kinase gamma inhibitors indirectly interfered with the progression of cancer by preventing inflammation. Importantly, because the inhibitors do not directly influence tumor cells, it is not likely that they will develop resistance to PI3Kinase gamma inhibitors.

    "Our studies show that PI3Kinase gamma is an excellent target for cancer therapeutics, as this enzyme is primarily expressed in specific immune cells and is a gatekeeper of tumor inflammation and tumor progression," concludes Dr. Varner. "We found that PI3Kinase gamma inhibitors strongly suppressed tumor growth and progression in mice without apparent side effects. Thus, selective inhibitors of PI3Kinase gamma could serve as relatively nontoxic therapeutics to suppress tumor malignancy by blocking diverse pathways promoting tumor inflammation."

    Tuesday, June 14, 2011

    We are now in the town called Ajijic and it is Paradise.


    Its another week in Mexico! We are now in the town called Ajijic and it is Paradise. This is some where that Dan and I are hoping to move someday to. The place is amazing and the people are so friendly with wonderful manners. I am looking forward to experiencing some organic food and the market tomorrow and check out some rentals.

    We walked along the lake today and on the other side were mountains, it made a perfect picture. It is amazing how beautiful our planet is with all the climates and culture that surrounds us. I have to feel gratitude to be able to experience such a site.
    Next Saturday I will be going to the other side of Mexico to start my treatment. I have mixed feelings about going, but I am excited about seeing the team again. My doctors are wonderful and I have a lot to be thankful for. They have shown that there are other ways to treat your body without poison and made me be more aware of my body and how to manage it from cancer and  other illness.

    Until next time have a wonderful week, wishing you all a safe and peaceful one.