Thanks so much for getting back to me on this and for your kind words re: me helping my dh :grouphug:. I have been meaning to get the Eat to Live book and am considering following that plan, maybe after hcg. I've heard great things about it. When you say blockage, you're referring to digestive stuff, right? Constipation, etc, correct? Just checking since I'm not fully awake. ;) Is his diet so overly restrictive that my dh (who still sometimes likes to eat like a kid) will be turned off? My dh is willing to make many changes, but, if it's really hard to follow, I don't know how sustainable that would be. Thanks again.

Go on an anti-candida diet. Huge mistake. Listen to anyone who says to avoid fruit or any specific type of fruit. From now on, I'll just go with common-sense advice from books like "Food Rules". :) Buy supplements from places like Costco or Target.

but did NOT want to lose weight (this is for dh, who really does not need to lose weight), do you know if this book/approach is any good? Here's his own site. I've been very interested in his weight loss approach, although I know very little about it, but I need to know if his eat healthier approach is worth getting for someone who needs to eat more healthy but not lose weight. Any comments, thoughts, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. :)

This is the one that was recommended to me when I had a breast thermogram. I'm very happy with it. I haven't been using it much in the past 6 or so weeks, however. But I will get back to it. Since I lost some weight (hcg diet), I don't feel that I need to use it as much as I did before. I think, and I could be wrong, that losing weight helps lower estrogen levels. Weight will always be a struggle for me. So I'm not going to get all cocky about that. I often regain ... :confused: Here's the info based on what others have posted here as well as info that was given to me from the thermogram place about progesterone creams: Oftentimes, estrogen dominance is due to a lack of progesterone. Balancing out estrogen with progesterone is important. Progesterone is the brake pedal for estrogen. Consider progesterone cream if your thermogram shows that you have too much estrogen in your breast tissues. Not all progesterone creams are alike. Make sure to get one that is natural, organic, bio-identical and not synthetic. Emerita is a very good one. Karuna may also be good, although I’m not completely sure – worth looking into. Both are available from amazon. Ann Louise Gittleman also has one called ProgestaKey. Please keep in mind natural does not imply organic. Many of these creams have not only the main ingredients based on phytoestrogens, but also have the toxic xenohormones, parabens and mineral oil too. They are far from organic. So be aware and ask questions about your creams! Apply ¼ to ½ teaspoon of the progesterone cream directly to your breasts morning and evening. More progesterone is absorbed into breast tissues when it’s applied to them directly, and that’s ultimately where you want most of the progesterone to go. Do not apply it to other areas, even if the instructions tell you to do so. Progesterone receptors are only found in the breasts (and ovaries), so apply directly to the breasts to decrease vascularity. Repeated thermograms prove this is the only correct application method to reduce vascularity and risk. Or to explain this easier, if you cut your thumb and you apply Neosporin to your elbow how effective is that? Apply the cream directly to area that it is needed. It can reduce some signs of menopause when applied indirectly, but when you move it to the breasts you will see a greater decrease in menopause issues and more importantly you are reducing the vascularity in the breasts. I think that someone here posted this. I saved it: For those who turn up their nose at progesterone creams, do know that that Prempro is very different from progesterone. The former is a synthetic, the latter natural. The effects on the body therefore are much different. Also, many women who took Prempro also took Premarin, which aggravated everything. Beware of synthetic progesterone (progestin), which won’t work the way natural or bio-identical progesterone does. Your body has difficulty breaking down the synthetic form, used in birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, so this altered form creates a potential for toxic effects. In fact, after progestin was added to HRT, women’s cancer risk increased! Peela wrote this, I think ... Peela, I hope you don't mind the fact that as usual, I copied and pasted: Many do not feel comfortable taking even bio-identical progesterone indefinitely. They may use it for, a year or two, and then find that it is no longer as helpful as it was initially. Progesterone creams can be helpful for a short period of time, but over time the progesterone may build up in the fat layers of the body and is continually released over time from these cells. So, it’s possible that it loses its efficacy over time.

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My exact thoughts. There are many lymph nodes there. Most of us have congested lymphatic systems. Once you get it checked out, and hopefully if it's nothing more than that, there are things that can be done to help improve the lymphatic system - dry body brushing, etc. This is pretty common, but still important to have it checked out. In most cases, these things are infections and/or swollen lymph nodes. Praying. :grouphug:

I am absolutely crazy about Cadbury's Creme Eggs. Always have been. :D I love anything Cadbury's and anything Lindt also. If my memory serves me correctly, they have Creme Eggs in Britain all year round. Lucky things, or maybe not so lucky, depending on how you look at it. :lol:

We just watched it a few months ago - when our son was still 10 and daughter had just turned 12. We put it on pause a lot and discussed it a great deal. Given what you have said, I would wait a while, but you don't need to wait too long - not necessarily for the next cycle (which, I assume you mean the next 4 years) - although that's fine also. It is a very difficult series to watch. I can't say that it's strictly for the junior high and older crowd. It really depends on the child and how sensitive the child is. My dc were fine. It affected them greatly, but it was very good for them. I myself had a more difficult time with it. I always do. I don't think I can handle watching that series more than once a decade. I think that everyone should see this series. I loved the book also and read it before ever seeing the series.

Peela, do you take it in capsule form or powder? I don't take it, but dh does. I'm considering giving to our dc, since they've recently started breaking out. Maybe I should be taking it also, although I don't seem to have a need. Just re-reading the following info below - particularly liver detox benefits, I think I will take it. :) Here's what I read about tripahala, in case anyone's interested: Triphala – Take two to four 500 mg tablets just before bedtime. Triphala is a bowel-regulating formula. In Sanskrit, it means three fruits. The combination of the powdered fruits is a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticancer, and immune-enhancing properties. Triphala treats the entire digestive system, helping with constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, indigestion, bloating, and liver detoxification. Because it operates as a bowel tonic (helping to maintain proper function) rather than a laxative, it’s safe to take every day. If you know of any books or other info on the Ayurvedic approach, please do share. Thank you. :grouphug:

:iagree: Some treats are just meant to be enjoyed without any guilt. I figure that if we try to eat healthy 80% of the time (now I could be wrong here, so please correct me), it's okay to be a bit more flexible the other 20%. In "Food Rules", this is his last rule in the book, to "Break the Rules once in a while ... what matters is not the special occasion,but the everyday practice." :)

Yes, sorry that I did. I take my words back, if possible. I guess, I mean to say - that they do tend to be more extreme than the average Jo. But then that's to be expected. Not all artists. More, the Madonna, Lady Ga Ga, Amy Winehouse, Boy George, Freddie Mercury, and even someone like Sarah Brightman - they do tend to be more "out there" if you KWIM than the average. But again, to be expected. I love them all and embrace their whackiness, if that's what one chooses to call it. I don't mean it as an insult. I actually mean it as a compliment. :D

Thank you. Your reply is so helpful. I think I will read it, obviously without the expectation of it being as well-written as say "A Thousand Splendid Suns" etc ;). Thank you again. :grouphug:

Thank your for your really helpful feedback. I know this may be too much to ask. Does the ending have some form of closure, or does it leave you frustratingly hanging, if you KWM? For me, endings are everything. They don't have to ride off gloriously in the sunset. But there does need to be some form of closure (and obviously, preferably, but not always, a slightly positive/uplifting one). It's not that I only like happy books. I've loved many with very sad themes: The Book Thief A Thousand Splendid Suns The Kite Runner - to name a few So ... is it too much to ask if you think I'll like it? ;) Don't worry, if I don't, I won't hold it against you or anything. :lol: Thank you again. :grouphug:

I highly recommend this book. One of my favorite books of the past year. I loved it so much that I read it twice. Very insightful and often quite humorous. The author is as sharp as a tack. :D Yes, I do find that oftentimes, but not always, personalities are different in different climates. Just go to Britain smack-dab in the middle of February and then have the same exact British family come to the warm and sunny Caribbean a few weeks later ... you'll see a huge difference ;).

I just love her music. Dh has taught me, and this is a wonderful thing, to separate art from artist. I seldom pay attention to all the hype and hoopla. I just listen to the music and enjoy it. Most artists are whack jobs and many often have been. Some of the great classical artists, okay, (maybe I can only think of one at the moment), were major anti-Semites and scarily so. Again, I just enjoy the music.

Most Easy? :confused: I always look for easy ;). Got to be easy and yummy - then it's a winner! :D

:iagree: I also agree w/you re: the Dr. Oz/Roizen books. I often pick them up and put them back down. I don't agree with them oftentimes. I also really don't like the writing style. Not one bit. The Inflammation book looks very interesting. Thanks for posting that. :) Thanks for this suggestion. Added it our wish list. :D I often saw this book at Costco during our last visit to the U.S. I almost got it. But then I was scared to. Topics like that really, really sadden me. But maybe I could handle it. I loved "The Book Thief" and that wasn't exactly a walk in the park either.

Yes, thank you very much for the update. Still praying and thinking of you all. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I have no idea how many books I've read so far this year. I keep telling myself that I should go back and figure that out. But I don't really want to get fixated on the numbers. This week, I finished How to Really Love Your Teenager. I don't really like reading parenting books these days. They tend to make feel as if I'm doing a not-so-good job :confused:. I'm just more into fiction these days. There were some very good bits of advice in the book, however. And I am taking notes. I'm just over halfway through Room. I honestly don't know what to make of it. At first, I didn't like it at all. Now, I'm liking it more and more. Shows the incredible love that a mother has for her son despite some really horrible circumstances. I'm wondering what the ending will be like. Endings are everything for me.

Praying for you and thinking of you. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

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I can't wait to go later this year. :D Just love reading everyone's responses. :)

Very interesting. Thank you. I had a feeling that this was true. It's nice to see it all laid out. Common-sense advice. I had no idea about that. Thanks for sharing, Peela. :) I knew it tasted better ;), but didn't know that it lowered GI :).

:iagree: That was my experience also. Very well said. Very interesting. I may do that myself, if I choose to have a mammogram then. Otherwise, I may just go for annual thermograms or so, self-checks, etc. I'll see, but I really like this approach. There's no breast cancer in my family, not that that's a great form of protection, since most breast cancers are not genetic. One of my closest friends - is in her late 50s - her mother had breast cancer and healed mostly naturally and has been cancer-free for over 20 years. Anyway, this friend, whose own mother had breast cancer, has never had a mammogram. Not saying everyone should do this, by any means. :iagree:

Peela, thank you for the great post and much-needed reminder. :grouphug: My knowledge of TCM is very, very basic, but just the little that I do know, I am so impressed with. I'm also quite interested in the Ayurvedic approach. This all started when I saw how effective Triphala is :D. I'm considering this book. Peela, if you have time and do get to read up on the info, I would love to hear your feedback. This stuff is certainly not cheap and I wouldn't want to waste $ on unnecessary supplements. After all, who would? ;)