Sunday, September 19, 2010

Getting Better...

So, how's this for updating the blog more than once every 2 or 3 months? I'm thinking it's only been a week or so. Wait, Wait...I think I can hear all of the shocking "wows" and clapping right now. Thanks, I'm taking a fake bow just for you girls.
I have some majorly interesting news that I MUST share with you girls. I have been going to see a Preventative Medicine doctor here in Clarksville for a few months now. I've always been skeptical, but until I went did I really understand exactly how amazing this doctor is. So, after taking a super long and involved history of my breast cancer and previous health, he decided to run some new labs on me and this is what we have discovered. I have 3 risks factors that contribute or are directly linked to breast cancer and I will for sure include the links so you can read the articles yourself. Believe me when I tell you that this is interesting.

The one I want to focus on tonight is COPPER! Yep, like the copper penny. The things pipes are made of, etc... Copper is indirectly (or directly) linked to estrogen positive breast cancers. Copper is necessary to have in the body, but too high levels are bad...just like having too much of anything. One of the things that copper does is increase the estrogen levels in our bodies. Hmmm...not such a good thing if you have ER + breast cancer. Copper is also responsible for growing new blood vessels which is bad if you have cancer as that gives the cancer a means to spread (angiogenesis).
So, my level was/is at a TOXIC level. Holy crap! How did that happen? After researching, and still needing to do some more research, we discovered we have copper pipes so all of our water has copper in it. Other than that though, I have no idea because I definitely don't eat liver which is high in copper. I'm in investigative mode now. In the meantime though, my only option is to take a ton (8 pills/day) of zinc glycinate to get this copper out of my body. Once it is back to a normal level, I am coming off of the supplements and will hopefully then learn what to or not do to prevent it from happening again.

Here is the link to an article that I found extremely interesting http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000120144225.htm
Please keep in mind that I am a nurse so research articles are super interesting to me. I pretty much skimmed this one and am even more determined to get my copper levels down. And of course, I am NOT a doctor so please don't freak out and go demanding copper levels be drawn on you. Instead, ask your doctor what he or she thinks about this and go from there.

Happy almost Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!!