Mams and Paps!

Brew of the day: Aniseed Tea (good for detoxing)

Disclaimer: Today’s blog does not constitute medical advice and all readers are responsible for their own health and lifestyle choices. The contents are merely to show there is always another way and that we don’t have to always believe everything we’re told by medics, media and MPs…



The other day I received a letter in the post from my doctor telling me that according to their records I’ve not had a pap smear since 2002. Don’t know what sort of records they keep, but I know with absolute certainty that the last smear I had was in 1990 and it wasn’t in this country. That pap smear was the last one I’ll ever have. They told me to come in as soon as possible to have another one done. Sigh. Guess I’m going to have to phone them like I did when the girls were young and the ‘come and have the girls vaccinated’ letters kept rolling in…and let them know in no uncertain terms that I take full responsibility for mine and my family’s health, and to suggest they save paper by not sending me reminder letters!

The health and lifestyle choices I make are done consciously and not out of denial or fear. They are made out of an understanding that the human body seeks perfect health.

A week or two back, the lovely Kylie Minogue gave an interview sharing her breast cancer story. Not having tv, I didn’t see it, but can imagine the advice given. I have no problem with the choices other people make in relation to their health diagnosis, my point today though is that prevention is not only better than cure, but so very much easier.

The media, bless ’em, do their best to instil fear in the public at every waking turn. Kylie’s story will have amplified the fear that most women these days have of getting breast cancer and no doubt the little pink ribbon charity was jumping up and down with glee that someone so well known was speaking up for breast checks…bet their bank balance increased enormously that week too!

I don’t give money to cancer charities. I’m very fussy about the charities I do give money to (more about that in another blog). One reason is I’ve worked for charities and seen how the money is spent! Agggghhhh! As for cancer charities, I simply don’t give money to places which focus on the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff! (or which test on animals)

If, collectively, we really wish to bring an end to breast (or ovarian/uterine/cervical) cancer then, as women, we need to take responsibility for our health and not expect the National Health Service to cough up a drug to plaster over our life of excess.

Cancer simply can not grow in a healthy body. Read that, read it again and keep reading it till you truly understand what that means. It is the single most empowering thing you can do for yourself in relation to this disease which is now EXPECTED (gotta brainwash the masses) to get 1 out of every 2 people.

Health isn’t something anyone else can give you, it is something you choose for yourself. I once read in Juno, a natural parenting magazine, that the word holistic was too serious. My take on holistic is that it covers every aspect of our life (whole/wholistic) ~ taking in our mind, body, soul or, if you life, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies.

From a holistic perspective, when we aim to create a healthy life/body we don’t just look at the physical body. In fact, the physical body is often the last place a disease (DIS – ease) shows up. It first manifests in our mind or feeling ‘body’.

Breast cancer is a symptom. We can never truly treat a symptom, we must treat the cause. If you have your breasts cut off; radiated or insides removed via hysterectomy for hormonal reasons, you are not actually doing your body any favours. If your body is ‘speaking’ to you because it is unhappy, you can bet that other symptoms will show up.

I don’t ever expect to get breast cancer or indeed any other cancer. First and foremost, I simply don’t *expect* to! I don’t look for it. I look for health and well-being. I know many women say their mother died from cancer, or other women in their family, and use this information to stamp their fate upon every cell of their being. Genetics is NOT what people (including the medical and scientific profession) seem to think it is. I strongly urge you to read Dr Bruce Lipton’s The Biology of Belief. Brilliant stuff!

Culturally we’re trained to examine our boobs each month looking for lumps! What sort of mentality is that? Quite frankly it is no different than birth care professionals looking for problems in our pregnancy and labour, instead of focusing and trusting that our body knows what to do! Why use the power of your mind to ‘create’ lumps in your breasts which might contain cancer cells? Our minds are the most powerful thing on this planet! We need to use them positively.

I don’t do breast checks and I’ve never had a mammogram ~ nor do I ever intend to. I can also say with complete certainty that I would never treat any cancer in my own body using allopathic medicines.

You see, when we look for something, either emotionally with fear or through our thinking, we ‘attract’ it to us. The more energy we give to something, the more chance we have of manifesting it. Why would any sane person keep feeding their very powerful subconscious mind with the conscious thought, “I’m looking for breast lumps”? I’ll tell you why they’d do it. Because they are conditioned by society. They haven’t stopped to think for themselves. This is the main purpose of schools. NOT to save mums from having kids 24/7, but so our government can have everyone in sheep mode.

One of the most damaging things a woman can do to her breasts (wait for this, it flies in the face of everything you’ve been told since you first sprouted nips on your chest!) is to wear a bra. Remember how often you were told to wear a bra (oh, and start with a training bra) so your boobs would stay out perky and perfect? Bras are deadly. Mammals don’t wear bras. If we were meant to, Our Maker would have no doubt stuck a lifetime’s supply in our placenta.

The worst bras of all are under-wire bras and should be worn as little as possible. Sports bras, while having their purpose, do not allow the breasts to breathe. Breasts, like testicles, need to keep their own temperature and not be overheated. Did you know professional cyclists, for example, have a very high rate of testicular cancer?

As a teenager I used to cringe when my mum would sometimes come to school to pick me up or we’d go shopping together ~ she never, ever wore a bra…and her breasts, like mine, er, head south, somewhat. OK, completely! The men used to never quite be able to look in her eyes. Her nipples always managed to look as if they were frozen in deep winter despite living in tropical Queensland, Australia. However, now I’m at mid-life myself, I am so grateful that my mum spent all those years braless. So proud of her as she had no idea that she was taking out a fantastic health insurance against breast cancer.

Dressed to Kill is a book you might wish to read if these comments about bra wearing ring any bells for you. (You can google the book). Even if you feel the need to wear a bra in public, DON’T wear one at home and never, ever wear one when sleeping. I can hear some of you saying that you’re breastfeeding a newborn with milk leaking and need to wear breast pads at night.

No, you don’t! I did that in the early days of tandem nursing and it is infinitely easier to not wear a bra, but to put an old towel on top of your sheet. Got a fussy partner who thinks it is all a bit much? Tell him to sleep in another room. Your health is worth more than this fussiness.

Despite this country’s aversion and repulsion about breastfeeding, it is probably the single most important thing a woman can do to reduce her chances (statistically, not metaphysically) of getting breast cancer. The longer a woman breastfeeds, the less chance she has, apparently, of contracting the disease.

People wonder why breast cancer is becoming so common. Mammals are not designed to give their babies milk from the mammary glands of another species. Defy nature and nature catches up with you.

Just as a baby BIOLOGICALLY EXPECTS to breastfeed for any amount of time up to the losing of *milk* teeth, so too does a birthing woman’s body EXPECT to breastfeed. Our whole system is geared up for it. If you take that expectation away, the body is ill at ease. It doesn’t feel right. That expectation to breastfeed is in every cell of the body even if the woman ‘consciously’ chooses to bottle feed because she doesn’t think breastfeeding is natural. You read that right, some women don’t think breastfeeding is natural.

For women reading this who didn’t know better at the time, or women who’ve chosen not to have children, you might wonder how you can make up for lack of breastfeeding. My suggestion is that as the breasts *represent* a very nurturing aspect of our being, you find a way to completely express that part of yourself (no pun intended!) Some people choose to adopt a child or a pet; others give themselves fully through volunteer work. You may express nurturing by becoming a committed gardener ~ I can tell you, watching your first seeds emerging from soil is very ‘broody’ work! Gets me every time ~ “Oooh, my babies!”

It is estimated that 70% of all cancers are diet related. If we do use this figure for what it is worth, then it should be something for celebration as NO ONE is in charge of your dietary choices, but you. Are you going to dump crap into your mouth to feed your cells or consciously place food and liquids which will give you glowing health? The choice is yours. Always yours.

Cancer does not grow on cells which are fed raw food (this has been proven in a laboratory but the cancer charities wouldn’t tell you that). Use that as a guide to what you eat. The whole five a day thing is something people aim to get to like it is a pie in the sky maximum number of fruit and vegetables we should be eating.

Let me say this ~ five a day should be your bare minimum. If you’ve got the time and hunger to eat meat, bread, pasta and other assorted junk, then you’ve got room for five pieces of fruit and vegetables. And while I’m here let me just contradict the ridiculous info out that suggests you can get these portions from cooked, frozen, tinned or commercially juiced items. Five a day means RAW, FRESH produce. I am often stunned to see what producers consider to be ‘fresh fruit and vegetables’.

Vitamin B17
A lot of research has been done on this amazing vitamin in relation to the prevention and cure of cancer. Of course as soon as you find something natural that people can use to empower themselves with, along come the government to veto it!! B17 has remarkable properties and can be found in many foods, most notably apricot kernels. I know many people who take these bitter, almond-like kernels every day. One friend, whose mother died of breast cancer when my friend was 13 years old, eats a handful of kernels a day.

B17 can also be taken by injection if you already have cancer. I recommend Philip Day’s book, Cancer, why we’re still dying to know the truth.

Basic Lifestyle Choices

If you are doing 1-2 hours exercise, both aerobic (movement that gets your heart pumping) and stretching/strenthening each day; drinking 2 plus litres of water a day; plus minimising crap food and eating living fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, blue/green algae or sea vegetables, then you’re giving your body a fantastic springboard to excellent health. That’s just the physical side though, don’t forget mind and soul!

Ever noticed how many deodorants are on a supermarket shelf? You can disguise your sweat in so many different scents. Tempting to try ’em all really. Don’t!!!

Our armpits are a major detox site (as is any other place where hair grows)…What goes in must come out. Do not under any circumstance use an antiperspirant. Have a look what is next to your arm pits...Yes, breasts!!! Think before you spray or roll.

Do you really, really, really want to put a nicely smelling package of poisons onto your skin to be absorbed? There are alternatives on the market. Go to your health store and ask for a deo crystal. Some come plain and others have gentle essential oils added for those who like a scent.

If you’re cringing and truly can’t believe that you can go without masking your body odour, then let me say the answer lies in your diet. IF YOUR SWEAT SMELLS, YOUR DIET SUCKS!

If your sweat smells, then your urine is bound to as well. It should be almost clear and odourless. And more than likely, you’re one of the many in this country who takes three of more days to poo out the food you ate! It shouldn’t take more than 24 hours from the time you eat a meal, for the remains to come out of the other end! And when you do it should come out naturally through a peristaltic movement rather than being forced out by another truckload of food!

Treat the cause, not the symptom.

We have environmental toxins all around us. More so if we live in or near a city. However, we don’t have to become victims of this, instead we can choose to make even more proactive decisions on how to detoxify our body and our world.

Our emotional well-being is often neglected. How much time do you spend in non-productive flat-lining? Use the power of your thoughts to lift your emotions. We’re human, of course, and are prone to off days but it doesn’t mean we have to succumb to negativity or live our day to day lives feeling as if it is never going to get better.

I often overhear my neighbours having full on rows and wonder how deleterious it is to well-being to be engaged in that flight/fight response so often. If you’re in a partnership that isn’t always harmonious I suggest an invaluable book called The Enneagram of Personality Types by Riso and Hudson. Understanding the lens through which you and your partner (or kids!) see the world is deeply empowering. It also opens the way for greater compassion and understanding.

For example, although Paul and I have a very similar outlook on life and our core ethics are the same, personality-wise we’re very, very different. He’s cautious, considered, patient, thorough, a perfectionist. I’m, er, the opposite. “Rip, shit and bust” I think is how he describes me. Aggh. In more girl-like terms, I’m entrepreneurial, see the bigger picture rather than the details. I’m strong and impetuous.

When we first got together it rather pressed his buttons when I’d put a bag of something in the freezer without tying it up. Probably not much different than someone not putting the cap on the toothpaste or the one that always does my head in ~ men leaving the toilet seat up. Well, I have learnt to be more caring about how I put packets in the fridge or freezer. Paul, bless him, has never been a toilet seat up and left wet and sticky sort of boy.

My point is that as humans we can, despite our differences, big or small, learn to live harmoniously through understanding and not fritter away energy on bickering or fighting. What a waste of life to be constantly at war with the love of your life!

Finally, and just as important as anything else mentioned today, is the art of relaxation. We need to sleep fully and to also develop quiet time in our waking day.

Some people find it hard to just shut their eyes and drift off. My suggestions include eliminating caffeine completely (also found in chocolate, tea, soft drinks) and replace with herb teas. Particularly nice for night time are chamomile and valerian tea. Stop watching tv in the evenings or reading disturbing material such as newspapers. Replace your mental fodder with nourishing activities. Take a walk; a bath by candlelight; have a massage; do gentle yoga stretches; have quiet time being with your life partner rather than avoiding them….

Meditation is a word that seems to scare many people off ~ either they’ve not got time (but got time to watch Big Brother?); can’t sit still (all the more reason to do it!) or keep their mind still; or simply think it is too much hard work.

The truth is, once the habit is established, (and it is just a habit), a person learns to love this quiet time for being still and going inwards. It is here, in between the rest of life, that we can tap into our Infinite Being and truly rest and rejuvenate. It is here that we can heal and prevent illness.

Right girls, burn those bras and eat an apple!

I've just got back from pilates class ~ third one for this week. I’m determined to find my ab and pec muscles in this lifetime! I can feel them, just can’t see ’em…yet.

Have an enlightening week, with love ~ Veronika ~