Category : Healthcare

January 20, 2018 – 11 am

The 2017 Women’s March was unforgettable. Never have I seen so many people on the streets in DC, or felt such a resurgence of energy for all things equality.

While it was Las Vegas, Nevada that hosted the main Women’s March in 2018, we who showed up at the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool for the 2018 Women’s March to the Polls in DC weren’t exactly disappointed, either.

It was cold, and just a day before, the anti-individual liberty, consumption-uber-alles crowd had shown up, leaving their “Defund Planned Parenthood” signs in the rubbish, right where they belong:

As I, along with my awesome, feminist boyfriend (a real one, not one of these gaslighters offering you praise on facebook and abuse-talk in private) made our way toward the Lincoln Memorial, I ran into plenty of kindred. Having been called a “witch” on several occasions by the woman-hating crowd, I really got into this person’s costume:

I’ve been called plenty of interesting names by those who purport to “wuv da wittle baybees,” including those who’ve lovingly told me in their best Jesus-loves-you voices they were “glad I got cancer” because I “would kill babies.” These woman-hating totalitarians don’t fool me with their claims of “sanctity of life” – it’s more like $anctity of the Almighty Dollar and its next-of-kin, consumerism.

Republican opposition to ACA (and its on-board birth control), and to programs like WIC and SNAP mean a baby’s life ain’t so precious, but it sure as hell is lucrative when, as of 2017, it means a $233,610 injection into Trump’s made-in-China economy. Yep, that is how much raising a child in the US costs. It’s no wonder having a kid plunges so many into poverty, which is the real shame going on here.

And regarding all those “heartfelt” pleas to adopt? Once again, please follow the money: The average cost of newborn adoption in the US through an agency is $43,239, while an adoption through an attorney is $37,829 (and yes, this would obviously be on top of the $233,610 figure, above, for raising a child). It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that many of these agencies embrace every two-bit piece of no-choice legislation, every roadblock to abortion they can get their money-grubbing hands on, complete with those tearful, bleeding-heart conservative cries of “life.” If you’ve fallen for those, congrats – you’ve been marketed to (or perhaps a better word, considering the times, is “conned”).

Having had a casual discussion with an adoption attorney years ago at a party who was hinting at having me bird-dog “marks” (iow, scared, pregnant girls) for him at Penn State, I’d say it’s the latter. He backed off when I told him to…and after I stated I was pro-choice and that he should just pull himself up by the bootstraps instead of cashing in on female bodies.

Adoption is big business, and no wonder I read about so many coerced adoptions these days. And – update – what about those 1500 “lost” kids separated from their parents at the US/Mexico border? If all those children were “relinquished,” what would they be worth to adoption industry profiteers, using the average agency cost of adoption of $43,239? Multiplying $43,239 by 1500, that would yield the nice juicy sum of $64,858,500.

Yes, that’s $64,858,500. Wow – and that’s just for adoptions. Adding in the figure to raise all of those 1500 children – or $305,415,000 – we get a grand total of $415,273,500. What a godsend those anti-abortion laws and family separations are to those running adoption agencies, government child support services, diaper manufacturers, clothing manufacturers (China, big time), and baby food…and, and, and! Coerced childbirth pays off, and it’s easy to see why and for whom. And – of course – it’s women’s bodies being used to deliver the profitable “product” – a newborn consumer.

But, the pussy-grabbers and money-grubbers left out some very important things, like individual liberty and, if you’re a believer, god-given free will. Those pesky things! And to think, women were actually born with brains, the nerve! We should just all be headless wombs for profiteering, bodies for the taking. No worries, mates – sexbots are on the way, but be warned: You will have to pay for them.

It is no mystery the fetishization of the fetus – i.e., all those signs you see, showing a disembodied, curled up embryo with the woman on whom it depends nowhere to be found – is all the rage among the profiteering right and their pornographic, wallet-driven obsession with my uterus. I was happy to stand in front of them at the March to the Polls:

[Photo by Matt Neufeld]

But, think I will, and choose I do. As the sign below says, My Pussy, My Rules. I make judgement calls every day, from all options available, my uterus being no exception. It’s called informed consent. I alone have the last word regarding what happens to my body, as well as who – whether it is cancer treatment or the right to end a pregnancy I don’t want…or who I share a bed with.

I’d say this lady sure as hell knows what she wants:

Not everything goes as planned, which is why freedom of choice rules. It is no accident that these times give us so many inventive forms of birth control just as we have a environmental and overpopulation nightmare going on (I’d say that’s what “god’s plan” is). Technology advances for a reason – to allow us choices we would not have had back in, say, the 1950s. (If you don’t like technology, then stay the heck off them airliners – god didn’t give you wings, right?)

Coerced pregnancy does not have a place in a free society. A theocracy, yes. A totalitarian society, yes. And in those societies, note how coerced abortion is the other side of the same coin as forced childbearing. It’s an easy flip of the switch, once the totalitarian machinery is in place.

But not here in the Land of the Free, at least, not for real Americans. Real Americans don’t vote against freedom of choice, or individual liberty, or god-given free will.

Reading the Roe v Wade decision, we see that there is no requirement to have an abortion. There are no protesters outside maternity wards, screaming at women not to have their babies. You are free not to have an abortion just as you are free not to have a kid. It’s the same “on all sides,” this freedom of choice thang. But, if legal abortion threatens your “faith,” then that ain’t a faith worth having – and I’m having none of it.

If you don’t have my back on all of that, you don’t have my vote:

We’re at a point in human history where we don’t need to have kids. They don’t complete everyone’s picture, and cost-wise, they are a luxury. I am not about to shirk my responsibilities in helping resolve some of humankind’s problems now, instead of lazily passing them off to the next generation of unknowns. We need clean air now, not 40 years from now, and it may be a woman who will solve this issue – if she isn’t saddled with another unplanned corporate consumer.

Motherhood – and parenthood – is only genuine and loving if it’s freely given. Otherwise, it is mere production. Thus, I err on the side of making this a society where every child is absolutely wanted and cherished, and dripping with their parents’ love and ever-present attention.

I wish the US was a country that loved children, but it isn’t. It has a fantasy-like love affair with fertilized eggs and beliefs, but no respect for the effort it takes to actually carry a fetus to term and then raise the resulting child in what can be a very harsh reality.

So, how can we love kids through meaningful action? Let me count the ways:

But don’t worry your pretty little head on that last one – you can still pay $1000 a month for insurance if you want to. I assure you, insurance firms will come up with a plan, just for you! And they will take your money, if that’s what does it for you.

As Nancy Pelosi, Tim Kaine and many others spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial on this cold, but sunny and beautiful winter’s day, I snapped this picture of the woman in front of me, and it’s a perfect way to end this blog, reminding everyone to vote, because if you’re a woman or person with a uterus, your life is on the line. If you’re a man, just think of anti-abortion laws as mandatory fatherhood and child support payment laws, because that is just what they are, if you #FollowtheMoney.

Be Well and Free,
Alison

PS – Thanks to Matt Neufeld for two photos in this article, including the featured photo of me at the 2018 DC Women’s March to the Polls at the top of this blog, and where indicated via caption. All photos © Alison Lorraine or Matt Neufeld.

April 22, 2017 marked the day of the outstanding Doylestown March for Science, and I can sum it up like this: The Kids Are Alright. Meaning the high schoolers from the Central Bucks School District who put the whole March together. Aside from the 2017 People’s Climate March in Washington, DC, this was the most well-organized march I attended all year.

Lots of people showed up with great signs, and the streets of Doylestown were filled to the brim near the intersection of Main and State Streets, where the crowd gathered for the short march up Main and onto Court Street, where a rally would take place that featured several speakers, all speaking up for the importance of science in our society – and the importance of sustained, effective activism.

Many causes interfaced at this march, immigration being just one:

It should be said that if not for the scientific advantage of the US, World War II might have been lost…to someone now emulated by Donald Trump, who was installed by that 538-member junta known as the Electoral College in the US.

The student emcees of the Doylestown Science March struck a non-partisan pose, but we know the deal. The Republican Party has descended from supporting science and the ERA back into the dark ages of a religious nature, but I have yet to figure out which religion it actually is.

As we marched to the Bucks County Courthouse, it became apparent how big the crowd was, to my left…

…to my right…

…and behind me…

…there were a few people in front of me, but I had a great spot to see the speakers, which included the emcee from CB West, Hina Rub, and Doylestown mayor Ron Strouse…

Soon after, we heard from an array of science-based business owners, scientists, educators and experts, along with environmentalists and other organizers:

And, of course, lots and lots of great signs populated the crowd, representing all stripes. One that caught my attention in particular was this gentleman’s sign, which put two and two together and illustrates how we are all interconnected:

And then, there was my own contribution, which arises from my experiences with science as it has been corrupted by money in the US pharmaceutical industry, where not all treatments for cancer are honored. Often it is only patented medications, which can be profited to the hilt from under the current healthcare system, offered to cancer fighters by mainstream medicine – and thus is its own form of ignorance:

There are many treatments for cancer, all science-based, but not – or no longer – patentable. That is all about the money, and if I am to be fair, I must demand fairness in medicine regarding medical treatments, along with the acknowledgement that sometimes the simplest things, like peroxide and vitamin C, neither of which are patentable and are too cheap for mainstream medicine to profit from with the long roster of players with their fingers in the healthcare pie.

Can we please have a system that is fair, scientifically-based and all-inclusive, instead of one where certain medicines and treatments are weighted differently according to profitability? This is one thing I’m working toward, because I never want to find myself subject to treatment by science which has been corrupted by money to the point where many simple and effective treatments are left completely off the table.

Resist on,

Alison

The 2017 Women’s March in Washington, DC, is billed by Wikipedia as the largest single-day protest in US history.

I’d say! Just check out my view of 14th Street, looking toward the Mall:

It was also the most feared – by potential marchers as well as others.

Countless friends and strangers told me I must be crazy to go to DC and march with Trump (illegitimately) taking over the Oval Office. “Be careful,” they admonished. Even some of the staff at the local UPS store looked at the sign I was printing up, and told me point blank, with fearful looks on their faces: “I would not want to be down there.”

I can only imagine how much bigger it would have been, if not for one thing: fear.

Fear of what, I wondered. Being arrested? Being bashed by counter-protesters? Being injured, or worse? Or – and this is my favorite in corporate-fascist-land Amerikkka: Being caught on facebook by employers for having gone and joined the “rabble-rousers” and “troublemakers?”

Apparently so – and which only made me want to go more. Because we had finally hit rock bottom.

Trump was erected US President by the Electoral College. I had nothing to do with it. The installation of a US President by 538 people, now THAT is something to fear – and something to change. I’d had an immediate conversion of that fear into anger and, even more importantly, action. Because the first woman president, who’d won three million more votes than do-nothing Don, was going home. And the most entitled white male I’d ever seen run for president – one who couldn’t even pull off the popular vote – was going to the White House.

It is no wonder so many people don’t want to work hard or try to win honestly. America is a bona fide rigged system. The scammers and cons and data scientists have figured it all out, right on up to the White House. Flawed democracy, yes we are. If all one needs to do to win the presidency is to “win here, here, and here” per the Electoral College’s welfare-like voting system, which awards more voting power per voter to those residing in less populous states – and not win the majority of our hearts and minds – that is reason enough to be angry as fuck.

The remedy for fear being deliberate, decisive action, I booked a bus ticket to DC, printed out some maps of the metro system, packed up my things, and rolled up my UPS store-made sign, which said, “RESIST” on one side, and “FORWARD” on the other. One word per side, each of which said it all.

I arranged a short stay through All Souls Church Unitarian in DC and landed on a comfy couch bed in Tenleytown. They next morning, I entered the metro station to the excited urgings of a metro worker reminding us – and to be fair, the entire station was full of women’s marchers – to “hurry up! 10 am, people!” A big smile stretched its way across my face. This was going to be a great day of batteries being recharged, of hopes being resurrected.

I rode a crowded red line train to Judiciary Square, and after spending a couple hours attempting to get to the March epicenter at 3rd and Independence, I encountered no cell phone service along with standing room only. I could just about see the large video monitor set up at that location when word came through the crowd that the march itself, at least along its planned, permitted route, had been cancelled. There were just too many people.

With all bets off and nearly a million marchers suddenly loose on the streets, we collectively headed toward the Ellipse and the White House on whatever streets or grassy sections of the Mall would take us there, permitting be damned. Along the way, DC Metro police officers showed up to partition the crowd. Yes, it was that big. I’ll never forget the look on the cop’s face as he put up barrier tape in front of my nearby crowd, which had just crossed the Mall on the way to Pennsylvania Avenue, and effectively sent half of us up Constitution and the other half up Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was fear.

Fear. There it was again, on the opposing side of a police barricade from where I was standing. He was not alone in being frightened by We the Pussy.

Fear of the vagina runs rampant among the American victim-entitlement class these days (largely white, and largely male…and completely insecure). It is the same fear behind all the taxpayer dollar-wasting abortion bans and restrictions, when we should be passing measures guaranteeing all-inclusive healthcare for every citizen. It is the same fear behind the bathroom safety arguments against passing the ERA, the same stupid argument being dusted off and currently used against transgenders having the individual liberty to use the facilities they feel most comfortable using. It is the same fear behind the lack of equal pay. It is the same fear behind the lack of transparency in so many things that keeps the large majority of us in some way screwed over.

I often imagine how great this country could be if there were true and full equality for everyone – and that means ridding ourselves of fear. It means women letting go of their inferiority complexes and the repeat-taught need to be taken care of, or spoken for, or installed into limited societal roles set aside for us. It means men letting go of their unearned superiority and entitlement – especially the attitude that women’s bodies are public property, and somehow theirs to do with or vote on or restrict as they please. Those who created the society where women must work twice as hard to get half as far now find they need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and compete with women who answered that challenge, most often under the constant and rigorous scrutiny and second-guessing that always comes with a big helping of double standards.

And, it means we go to the root of where this bigotry came from – and that is none other than organized religion, or what I’ve come to call the men’s mythology clubs. You know, the ones where men design a god that looks just like them – and then relegate everyone else to second-class status using the concept of – and fear of – a supreme being to artificially inflate their value while minimizing that of all others.

But, like it or not, women have a LOT of power: Women create life. Women decide who gets born. With some exceptions, women raise the next generation. Everyone on this planet has a generous – some may say too generous – woman to thank for their existence. A lot of people live in fear of this reality, and, according to “god” – who I’ve finally figured out is “the little boy who lives in my mouth” from The Shining – they gottacontrolthosesluts. Sluts, of course, being women who enjoy their bodies, along with their nature-given – or god-given, depending on what or who you believe – capacity for multiple orgasm, and who can take care of themselves without needing a male hovering over their every move.

Currently in the US, there are far too many laws and attitudes which reflect fear of women rather than gratitude or respect. And, currently in the US, there are far too many women who fear and refuse to own their own power – and who turn around and vote against their own best interests. A lot of this has to do with what is falsely referred to as faith.

If one cannot view and experience the full menu of choices within a free society and adhere to one’s own faith without violating the freedoms, safety and well-being of other citizens, then that is not faith at all. It is something else. And once again, that something is fear.

Authentic faith has no fear. It does not dictate. It does not seek to control. It doesn’t need to.

I’ve never seen so many people lacking authentic faith as those who voted for Trump. And I’ve never seen as many people in Washington DC, as I saw on the day of the Women’s March, not ever. How appropriate on the day after Fear Itself took office.

For me, it was a reminder that when We the People put our boots on the ground and bodies on the line, we have real power. Imagine that same crowd going rogue. Imagine all of them armed, holding guns instead of signs. Then imagine this: The “scariest” thing I heard at the 2017 Women’s March on DC was “ooops, sorry” when someone inadvertently stepped on my foot, which happened quite a bit during the March, and on the way into and out of the Metro…and where Metro personnel were nothing but encouraging and helpful…and fearless, telling us all to get our butts in gear, and get to the March on time…and don’t forget your kids, your backpacks, your water, your maps…or your First Amendment rights:

In answer to the many concerned people who admonished me to “be safe” at the Women’s March and then asked me what it was like to be there, I told them this: Even with Trump taking office in our midst, I was among hundreds of thousands of my sisters and brothers in intent. I’ve never felt safer.

Nor have I ever felt more fearlessly charged up to go home and do even more – I made it my mission to make at least one call to a representative, senator, state legislator, mayor, council member, governor, etc, per day. And to go to as many protests as possible. And to contribute to causes with time, money and ideas. And…and…AND!!!

Please also see my video of the 2017 Women’s March on DC.

Resist On!

Be Well,

Alison

When people ask me what is most effective to keep the cancer cell count down to a minimum, I respond that chief among my medical therapies is the use of IV Vitamin C drip, or Intravenous Vitamin C.

To date, I’ve taken these treatments, which usually take a couple hours apiece, in both Mexico (Tijuana) and the US (Las Vegas). The cost in Mexico: $100. In Las Vegas: $160. In other words, Las Vegas is comparable enough cost-wise that the extra $60 is still a savings on the travel costs to Mexico, if you are just going for a standalone Vitamin C IV drip (which, at times between trips to Mexico for more all-inclusive health services, is the case).

The treatments themselves involve a needle-stick into a prominent inner-elbow vein, followed by the drip itself, which comes via plastic tube down from an IV bag, from which 50 grams (my dose, specifically) of Vitamin C is delivered, straight into my bloodstream.

Its actions are well-known…here are a few of the highlights:

I know quite a bit about that last one, having had some kidney weakness rear its ugly head from time to time. The desert environment of Las Vegas provided the treatment – namely beneficial minerals in small, steady amounts and liquids to match – but I can attest that at 50 grams per drip, I’ve never felt better.

Sensation-wise, it feels like an almost-high to me…I can literally feel my veins expanding to accommodate the IV drip’s contents. The first time I had this treatment…it was a bit disconcerting, it was like I was being “filled up,” but in a very good way 😉 Still, I wondered if I would really be okay…you know how those thoughts travel across your mind…but…I felt so much better and clearer in the head afterward, I was sold.

As for frequency of these treatments, that depends on the person and where they are in their treatment, what their treatment goals are, how many treatments they can tolerate, etc. Even though I say here that the Vitamin C IV drip bypasses the kidneys – i.e., the renal system – large amounts in your system can still affect renal function. The lesson: It is always best to start small – and I know some individuals who started with 10 grams and worked their way up to more, once it became clear the treatment was beneficial. As with every other treatment, everybody’s different, meaning every BODY is different, and thus your individual profile, including your sensitivities, must rule the day.

When choosing a Vitamin C source, please take very good care. I know some people for whom the treatment worked great…until they changed their provider and ran into serious problems because they received a different source for making their IV drips. All ingredients – including additives and preservatives – should be disclosed in full to anyone receiving an IV drip – this is going directly into the veins. If something is in your drip that doesn’t like you, you’ll know it – and most likely very quickly, so don’t end up on the wrong end of that equation.

To this end, a wonderful doctor in Las Vegas gave me the bottle that he used to make my IV drip, fresh on the spot. Take a look at the following image, which shows the ingredients for a drip which made me feel great and has no preservatives:

And of course, check out the image behind this content or at the very top of this post for the “front page” of that same bottle…and note where it says “Preservative-Free.”

So it really is worth checking out Vitamin C IV drip therapy as a possible cancer treatment. Cancer is one of those things where I don’t want to leave any possible stones unturned. Vitamin C IV therapy has worked many wonders for me, and it is possible it will for you as well.

As always, do the research. Know thyself! And find great doctors – as guides, not gods – to help you.

Yours in Great Health,

Alison

I first started eating fruit seeds some time ago after being told they contained beneficial and cancer-fighting substances like laetrile, which is found in apple and apricot seeds.

In 2012, while dealing with the nipple cancer lesion in my left breast, I came across a recommendation to use ellagic acid to help my body fight off tumors, my naturopathic MD in Los Angeles telling me that as long as I had enough antioxidants, I was protected.

Ellagic acid is a naturally-occurring phenolic antioxidant contained in many fruits and vegetables, and had been recommended to me as being suitable for my needs. At first, I tried a supplement that combined ellagic acid with graviola, which had long been my standby for helping fight cancers.

To my disappointment, the supplement didn’t agree with me – it was too concentrated for me at a time when I was also doing a very intense, year-long heavy metals detox on a three-days-on/four-days-off schedule using zeolite, cilantro and blue-green algae, including spirulina and chlorella.

The positive changes taking place in my body during this detox were nothing short of spectacular, and as bodies so often do, mine was changing. For the better. For me, it meant I had less and less use for supplements in general, including ellagic acid in concentrated supplement form.

In short: I needed to find something more food-like and body-compatible, rather than a refined and super-concentrated supplement.

I researched a little deeper and found that ellagic acid had precursors known as ellagitannins, that provide quite a bit more bioavailability in a much closer-to-nature form. That sounded good to me!

Enter Raspex Red Raspberry Seed Powder, made largely from a variety of the berry called Meeker Raspberries – those which contain the highest levels of ellagitannins that break down into beneficial ellagic acid in the body.

This is a powder made of finely-ground Meeker raspberry seeds, and is a beautiful berry color. Mixed with an avocado smoothie, it’s fantastic. Stirred into plain organic yogurt with a little stevia produces an almost parfait-like dessert item. I keep a container of it handy at all times and keep it refrigerated as recommended. I can think of no better way to get tons of beneficial antioxidants into my system.

That said, the powder is a bit hard to swallow by itself or with plain water – it does have some grit to it and unless it’s mixed into something, it can be rather scratchy. But that is a small inconvenience for the amount of antioxidants this lovely powder delivers into your system.

It has become a part of a regimen that includes Chinese and Naturopathic medicine, diet, herbs, exercise – pretty much all the things you’ll read on the My Cancer Protocol page on this site, which I update periodically. As always, do your own research and find what works for you!

I buy mine online from either SMDI or Amazon. It retails for around US $39.95 (or therabouts) and comes in a one-pound tub that can be popped right into the fridge upon arrival.

Yours in Great Health,

Alison

[This is a blog on my experiences travelling to and at American BioDental, a Mexican dental clinic specializing in holistic dentistry and alternative treatments for cancer, such as IV Vitamin C.]

While researching on treatment tactics for the breast lesion I was dealing with in 2012 and 2013, I found dental revision being recommended over and over as a foundation-level plank in the overall platform for beating cancer. Many self-directed cancer treatment sites even go so far as to say it may be enough in itself to clean up the dental environment to see big improvements, so my search was on!

Who knew this would be my view when I got there?

When looking around for a dentist to clean up the remaining mercury mess in my mouth, I sought four things:

After much research and talking to various people, I chose American BioDental Clinic, located in Tijuana, Mexico. They hit favorable notes for all four of my requirements – whenever I called them, they happily explained everything and answered all my questions, including border-crossing options and then some. They specialize in holistic dentistry, including the removal of mercury, and I’d been in touch with several fellow survivors who’d gone there and reported success.

When I visited their website, I saw very reasonable pricing, and even more importantly, transparent and right out there for all to see. No having to call around and hear about payment plans that would have me in hock for years to come in the Great American Transfer of Wealth for what should be reasonably priced healthcare.

When I got to the Clinic, I saw that yes, their facilities were top-notch and yes, they used the best materials on the market for their patients – even encouraging them to get a biocompatibility test if they were dealing with cancer (my results).

After the initial intake and panoramic x-ray, I was told I had 23 teeth that needed work, including new fillings, replacement fillings, several inlays and a surgical mercury tattoo removal. Not being too much of a glutton for punishment, I arranged the work to be done in two parts – later that day, the right side of my mouth, top and bottom. Several weeks later, the left side. And then a third, very short visit for a quick follow-up on one problem tooth the dentists at the clinic saved with their excellent work, but told me to keep an eye on.

While under the drill, I also had Vitamin C IV drips – 50 grams each time – well-known to be extremely helpful for the immune system and a great treatment for cancer. Additionally, IV Vitamin C has the benefit of keeping re-exposure to heavy metals to a minimum while dental work is being done.

In my case, there were a lot of mercury tattoos left from half-assed amalgam removals not done safely or completely (but very expensively!) in the US back in 2008. After those, I’d thought – I’d hoped – that my problems were over. But they weren’t, as evidenced by ongoing cancerous lesions on my skin and left breast. Since there was still mercury residue in the form of grey-colored areas on my teeth and gums, along with loose fillings and cracks, the effects were still playing out in my system to my detriment.

Dental work and detoxes were in order, as soon as possible and within a reasonable budget, because it seems patients in the US are out of luck in getting mercury-related dental revisions paid for by the system that visited them upon us all. It would be akin to an admission that there was a problem, which I can only guess is a real no-no. It was only fitting that I took my business elsewhere.

So, on to the nitty gritty details about my trip(s) down under the USA’s southern border…

Crossing the Mexican border. I park and walk across, and for this, I take the 805 south to San Ysidro – the “LAST US EXIT” – the signs are very clear and say just that. At the end of the off-ramp, hang a right, go down the little hill, and what I usually do at the first intersection is make a right, then another quick right straight into a pay-as-you-go parking lot (cost, as of this writing: $7 per day). Park, and then you can either walk to the border crossing, or pay for one of the many rickshaws, etc., that come around looking to help out (plenty). I just walk it, it is not that far, and I don’t usually have more than a backpack.

Walking out of the parking lot toward the Mexican flag…which is right under the American flag in my pic…

Once out of the lot, cross the street and hang a left to the intersection (pictured below), where you’ll cross the street using the crosswalk (shown below). After crossing, go straight…

You’ll come to the pedestrian bridge that takes you back over the 805. You’ll see other people going where you want to go, so just follow them over the highway 🙂

You’ll come to a set of stairs, and at the bottom, go to the right and walk toward the train station area:

You’ll also see busses and lots of people, taxis and the like. The walkway to Mexico goes in between two buildings, then behind them and to the right. There’ll be plenty of others walking this route, and you’ll see this:

…and then you’ll see this…

…and you’ll realize that all the jokes are true: There really is a revolving door between Mexico and the US, lol! Two, in fact…

The revolving doors are the way to the “customs” area – and I put this in quotes, because it’s pretty basic – it is just a couple of revolving doors under the “MEXICO” sign (see the image above) that lead you into a small room where (sometimes) your bags are checked and (most of the time) you will see a member or two of the Mexican military standing guard as you exit.

After you exit customs, you’ll cross over the same highway in the other direction – and be warned, the path is just as circuitous as on the American side – to the taxi cab area. Per my previous advice, follow the crowd, they will lead you well. And note one of the first things you see on the Mexican side is a big pharmacy. Supply and demand. Go figure.

The taxi ride to the Grand Hotel Tijuana, where I usually stay when I have an appointment at American BioDental, is around $7 – 10, and takes around 10 minutes.

At the Grand Hotel Tijuana. This is a veeeerrrry niiiiiice hotel! You’ll pay the same for a shithole in LA, and with that, you’ll start to learn why over a million Americans call Mexico home, probably many of them “illegally.” The rooms are very nice and clean, have great bathrooms, and if you’re on one of the upper floors, you’ll have a fantastic view to boot. They have a very nutritious morning buffet, with complete proteins like eggs, chicken, beef, etc. You will not starve.

The water. Okay, had to get to this, and I’ll say this first: I drank the water freely on my first visit, and a few days later, had the most thorough and inexpensive full-body detox I’ve ever had. Otherwise known as Montezuma’s Revenge. Not very pleasant, but all-inclusive to a fault. The next few times I went, I was more careful, and I took a strong probiotic called Primal Defense with me. I think Saccharomyces Boullardi would also work well, just make sure to take enough of it. There is filtered water in the rooms, as pictured below:

But…you know how it goes: Somehow, something always goes awry. The tea water isn’t quite boiled long enough to kill everything. Or, you brush your teeth and forget to use the filtered water. So I’m careful, and at restaurants, I usually order a mineral water called Ciel – it is canned and entirely (…uhhh, at least as far as canned drinks go) safe:

Going back to the US (do we have to?). One of the Alessandros, aka either American BioDental’s head doctor or his son, usually drives me and a few others back across the border. They usually leave once or twice per day, and this is VERY preferable to walking back across, as they have frequent crosser permits and it’s usually pretty painless. Take my word for it: Crossing into Mexico is a piece of cake. Crossing back into the US is an overblown exercise in paranoia. Go, and you’ll see for yourself.

Yours in Good Health,

Alison

Yesterday, I attended a well-thought out, fact-and-numbers-based lecture given by Dr. Ken Osgood at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Las Vegas, the full title being the following:

The American Health System Dysfunctions – How We Got Here and What Needs To Be Done To Fix It

Speaking as someone with extensive experience with the US Healthcare system’s dysfunctions (and having to pay with no small amounts of money and time to resolve them), this was a presentation I could sink my teeth into where I learned quite a bit.

The lecture’s format traced the last 100 years of the American Healthcare System, how it came about and how it became the monster it is today. At the end, the presenter gave us all practical ways to effect changes in the system itself, starting from the patient’s perspective (i.e, the way it should be, but not the way it currently is). The message I got loud and clear: the system originated with us, and it has only grown out of control with our permission.

During the lecture, I learned that in America, we almost had a single-payer system. Nearly 100 years ago in 1920, a vote on a national healthcare system – akin to those in Europe and other nations – failed by a count of six votes.

If I could go back in time, no tellin’ what I’d do.

Flash forward to 1945 and a World War II-winning US, defined by a highly-skilled workforce that US industry could not afford to compensate accordingly and voila! We got socked with our employer-based healthcare system, with employer healthcare benefits coming in as an alternative to reasonable pay. Following that in 1965 came the introduction of the “third wheel” between patient and provider in the form of the fiscal intermediary concept. At the time, this included Medicare and Medicaid and has grown to include insurance companies, lawyers, courts, legislators (and legislation), hospital systems and others all grabbing at pieces of the big pie.

Here are some of the results of too many fingers in that pie, the figures shocking, but not surprising:

I’ll let you do the math on that last one as to how much of our GDP is simply attributable to health-related corruption and waste.

There are also structural issues preventing effective healthcare delivery – one, too many hospital beds, and two, too many physicians. From the presentation:

Using deductive logic, is it any wonder we are so damn marketed to in this country over healthcare? There is too much of a supposedly good thing, but somehow less of a real choice for all of us, so when I say the system is rigged (and this is my fallback expression regarding US Sick’n’Pay), there are the facts to back it up.

Dr. Osgood’s lecture concluded with the concept of a Medical Home – that is, a single-point-of-entry system for patients with features including continuity along with patient-centered, comprehensive and compassionate care. And importantly, one that doesn’t divide (and therefore fracture) its delivery system among so many entities that it makes it difficult to establish a qualitative, long-term relationship with a caring, ethical and well-educated healthcare practitioner where trust can be built.

This brought his final point home: that it is up to us to insist on what we need from doctors and from the system. Namely that We the People need to forge that long-term relationship with a good provider, and minimize the use of urgent care, hospitals and others as much as possible, in other words, put the family physician back where he or she belongs.

We need to be writing down all our questions (and insisting they are all answered while on a visit). And we’d be wise to have an advocate along for the ride when we deal with the system (I always bring someone along to doctor’s and other medical visits just so I have a witness). And I’ll chime in here with my usual: doctors as guides, not gods, with treatment options covering the whole spectrum, not just what’s promoted by Big Pharma.

All in all, this was one of the more memorable lectures I’ve seen on this subject matter, and it was delivered with care by Dr. Osgood, who actually had the audacity to apologize to me for the system after I told him my story.

Yours in Good Health,

Alison

[This blog details heavy metal biocompatibility testing as regards dental materials placed in the body long term.]

In 2008, I had the last of my dental mercury fillings removed, which promptly put me back in intimate touch with my old standby, Big C. The connection between heavy metals and cancer is one I know very well, though it is also one that the mainstream medical system likes to say doesn’t exist, thus my recent excursion into finding and taking a blood serum test that told me whether or not I was mercury reactive based on scientific analysis.

The dental work itself was sloppy – leaving several mercury tattoos and a cracked tooth – and not following the recommended Huggins protocol for safe removal of heavy metals for me saw new melanomas cropping up over 2009, 10, 11 and 12, all capped off by the crowning event of late: a left breast cancer lesion.

As usual, I’m in it to win it. And along the way, gather as much proof along the way as I can, first for me and secondly for all those naysayers who think I’m off my nut for “believing” in heavy metals toxicity. It is not a question of belief, it is a question of testing to see if I’m reactive, how much toxicity is in my system, and then figuring out what to do about it.

While dealing with my left breast nipple lesion in 2012, I read some very interesting things about how teeth are connected to specific organs and systems in the body via meridians, as in Chinese medicine. No real surprise to me that the left breast corresponded tooth-wise with the upper left first molar, where, interestingly enough, a very noticeable mercury tattoo still lived on the tooth and gumline (see the dead set sexy pic of the interior of my mouth above where you’ll notice the grey-tinged areas above and on the tooth of concern). When I was a kid, this tooth developed a full-on hole on its inner surface on the gumline, which was filled by…drum roll, please…silver-mercury amalgam. As the American Dental Association declares on its website:

Dental amalgam is considered a safe, affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million Americans. It contains a mixture of metals such as silver, copper and tin, in addition to mercury, which binds these components into a hard, stable and safe substance. Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness. 

The FDI World Dental Federation and the World Health Organization concluded in a 1997 consensus statementⁱ: “No controlled studies have been published demonstrating systemic adverse effects from amalgam restorations.” Another conclusion of the report stated that, aside from rare instances of local side effects of allergic reactions, “the small amount of mercury released from amalgam restorations, especially during placement and removal, has not been shown to cause any … adverse health effects.” 

[Source: American Dental Association]

My response? My ASS. 

And I’ll give you even more than that: a material safety data sheet on mercury (and here’s one on dental amalgam alloy). It took about 30 seconds on a wireless internet connection to find all these, so please read them for yourself and do your own research as well to see where your opinion falls on the ADA’s statement.

I’ve heard plenty of “it’s all in yer head, Sweetie” – enough for me to get into the habit of questioning everything that’s ever been said to me by a mainstream medical practitioner. In my experience, suggesting to a mercury-sensitive individual that mercury or other toxins aren’t possible culprits in chronic diseases (such as cancer) is like telling a peanut-allergic individual to get over it and have a Reese’s.

As well, the ADA hasn’t studied yours truly, and as someone who is sensitive to mercury (tested, yes) and who seems to have no problem retaining too much of it in my tissues (tested again – and a genetic predisposition, from what I’ve read regarding certain genotypes not being able to excrete metals efficiently), I have to ask: Who the hell paid the ADA to state such things?

Given my experience with insurance companies that refused to cover mercury removal (otherwise they’d get found out and have to do a whole lotta freebie dental revisions, I suppose), my trust in the ADA regarding the mercury toxicity issue doesn’t even register. Their interests and my interests are divergent – ne’er shall their paths cross – and science corrupted by money isn’t really science, and all that.

I first discovered there was a blood serum biocompatibility test for heavy metals in the form of dental materials when I started talking with the American Bio Dental Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. They encouraged all their patients dealing with cancer to have one, and for me, it was a no-brainer as I’m always after proof of what is actually going on…not what someone “thinks” just by looking at me, aka the Bill Frist “diagnosis.” Only when I see the real deal picture can the action I take be accurate and effective.

The test recommended to me was the Biocompatibility Test Kit from BioComp Labortories in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the US of A, which American Bio Dental forwarded directly to me previous to my initial scheduled dental revision in Tijuana. The picture behind this blog post (toggle the content away and back by clicking the round button with the + or – sign in it) shows what the test kit’s box looks like, including the test number (UN3373) along with the lab’s address and simple instructions.

Contents of the test kit include paper work (a Compatibility Report Order Form, Lab Instructions, Patient Instructions, FAQs and a Request for Client Serum Sample). In addition, there is a styrofoam container with a serum tube, outer tube and two small freezer packs that must be frozen for serum shipment to the lab for testing.

After fasting overnight per the instructions, I took the kit first to LabCorps, which had this test in their system under the instructions “Do NOT Use – Pending” and could not do the blood draw. Then it was on to Quest Diagnostics, who happily did the test per the instructions. After the blood draw and my payment, Quest sent my kit directly to BioComp Labs for the analysis.

The total cost for this was as follows:

$350 Serum Biocompatibility Test (including shipping & compatibility report)

$41.80 Blood draw at Quest Diagnostics:

$391.80 – Grand Total (and note that this test was not covered by insurance – nor was I – at the time it was done in mid-November, 2013)

When I got the results back from BioComp’s Blood Serum Compatibility Test, I was not at all surprised. This is further validation for what several top-notch holistic medical pros claimed was a major factor in the health problems I’ve had.

Page 1 from BioComp Labs’ report (see above image) contained a listing of dozens of metals used in various dental materials, separated by reactivity level in me as the subject tested via blood serum analysis.

As you can see for yourself above, in the Highly Reactive category was my old pal mercury and a few other heavy metallic malcontents, including nickel (petro fumes, cigarette smoke, cookware, etc.), aluminum (cans, foil, cookware, etc.), lithium, cadmium, copper…and even zinc and zinc acetate.

Of interest was bismuth, that ingredient in Pepto-Bismol (or Pink Bismuth if you’re going generic) that also showed up in the Highly Reactive category. I’m not sure what the full interpretation of this is, because Pepto-Bismol seems to work just fine for me (though I rarely use it, so that may be telling).

Silver and gold turned up in the Least Reactive category (of course, I’ve always had an affinity for those :-)). So did Titanium and Zinc oxides (used in sunscreens and other products), Stannous Flouride (toothpastes) and plenty of other metals.

This testing report also contains dozens more pages of thousands of dental materials, categorized as Highly, Moderately or Least Reactive. The American Bio Dental Clinic in Tijuana informed me they use a product called Diamond Crown for composites, fillings and inlays (most of the work I’ve had done by them), and this showed up in my report as being among the Least Reactive. That is good news! Anything that is permanently fixed in my mouth had better fall into that category, otherwise it’s yet another possible cause for the cancer cup to runeth over.

This brings me to some commentary on the dental industry as a whole, speaking from the experience of years spent down the hole on mercury toxicity and other issues that could have easily been prevented had my childhood dentist simply tested me for compatibility with dental mercury amalgam. The fact that at least a dozen amalgams were placed in my mouth without my knowing the possible effects – or even being given a choice in the matter – illustrates everything that is wrong with the mainstream medical system and its largely one size fits all mentality.

Considering that Romney-Obamacare doesn’t yet include this type of biocompatibility test as part of a larger preventative scheme, it needs revision – and soon. Having read that we are now exposed to more toxins in 15 minutes than our grandparents were over their whole lives makes lowering the body’s burden even more critical than ever.

Yours in good health,

Alison

PS – BioComp Laboratories can be found via www.biocomplaboratories.com and the American Bio Dental Clinic by pointing to www.americanbiodental.com. Ain’t research fun? Cheers…

[Contents of this post are for educational purposes only and all that jazz.]

[This is the Second Part of my Series on black salve. WARNING: Some may consider the images on this post to be graphic, but please note that cancer does NOT attack clothing, but rather the naked body.]

I could have also titled this post My Left Boob Tried to Kill Me (Small as It Is). In any case, here ’tis…and don’t tell me I never do nothin’ fer ye.

In December of 2011, I noticed a lesion on my left breast nipple. It itched, I scratched, and it bled. Having a long history of extensive melanoma that appears where the sun shines (and where it doesn’t), this was not a good sign. There were other symptoms as well, including a draining sensation in the lymph nodes in my left armpit. Yep, there was definitely something going on there.

In the early days of 2012, I started looking around for a way to address this newfound thing on my body and did a lot of research to boot. Was this breast cancer? Or melanoma gone wild? Given that my attitude toward cancer is that it’s all systemic to me, did it matter?

In some ways, yes, because melanoma is a hormonal-driven cancer, that is, it can get a lot worse very quickly via fluctuations in estrogen (birth control pills, monthly cycles, some say soy and some say not, etc.). But in most ways, no. Because it boiled down to the fact that I was still dealing with the Big C, long after my initial melanoma diagnosis in 2001. Meaning there was – is – something in me which produces this condition, with help from toxicity, stress and/or whatever other co-factors are floating around at any given time that might cause the cup to runeth over.

Black Salve Pasty, aka Initial Application

After several months of being told to have mammograms and other things I wasn’t too keen on (I’d prefer thermography), I jumped right in with the black salve and slathered my left nipple with it (see pic to the left).

Hours After Black Salve Application

A few hours later, I snapped a shot of the salve’s effects, which were immediate and intense. Note on the pic to the right there is lots of swelling and white areas with some darker areas just starting to appear. I then re-applied more salve and decided to leave it on until the pain started to subside.

This was three days I’ll never forget. Zero sleep for a full 72 hours. And, breast tissue being as sensitive as it is, pain like you would not believe. Yes, I made a mental note to go a bit slower in the future.

The next image shows how it looked many days after applying the salve, when it had had a chance to dry out with some of the smaller satellite areas flaking off, and after the swelling had gone down quite a bit:

Just Before the Biopsy: Black Salve Treated Left Nipple Lesion with Scab

I’m not a fan of the insurance-racketed system here in the US, nor am I thrilled with the pricing of some procedures, so I contacted the Komen Foundation for this one. I wanted some answers in the form of labwork, especially since I had an active lesion treated with the black salve.

The doctor handling my case told me she “didn’t buy it” regarding the black salve killing off the cancer and told me “the whole nipple’s gonna have to come out.”

Surgery sure does pay!

Ahhh, US Sick’n’Pay. Anything not sanctioned by Big Pharma was in the doghouse, and quackery, and all of it. But, thanks to a biopsy that included the black salve-treated lesion (it fell off during the operation, so the doctor included it for analysis), I was about to see a different picture, namely the one below:

Left Breast Nipple Lesion Pathology Report

After this pathology report showed up, the doctor was silent on all my comments about the salve killing off the cancer. She did say “the pathologist thought he saw something, but it was dried out,” and ordered another biopsy (thankfully negative), but never said she was “not buying it” or anything like that again. That is because “negative for viable epidermis” means DEAD TISSUE. ‘Nuff said.

Yes, black salve does work. It will debulk a tumor. No, I don’t know exactly how. Yes, treating with the black salve can be painful. And if you don’t go slow, you may wind up with big chunks of necrotic tissue falling off your bod. That is how effective it is.

And yes, I have photos of the post-biopsy lesion area featuring stitches, but have chosen not to include those here (and sorry, no images of pliers on the nipple or anything like that, so please don’t hound me for those).

At this point, I am left with one nipple and something that looks along the lines of a pale pink pasty – such is the nature of cancer. Perhaps I could get away with some nude protests and not get prosecuted (oh, when will this country ditch the puritanical shite?).

My research and experiences continue. My next trick may involve multiple shave biopsies and black salve applications to validate that it only attacks cancerous tissue.

Any doctors out there game?

As always, I’ll post more information as I have it.

Yours in Good Health,

Alison

Back to Part 1

[Contents of this post are for educational purposes only and all that jazz.]