Professor Jane Plant has a PhD in geochemistry. When she got breast cancer for the fifth time, she decided, "I had no alternative but to die or to try to find a cure for myself. I am a scientist - surely there was a rational explanation for this cruel illness that affects one in 12 women in the UK?"

Her husband's return from a trip to China prompted her to examine why breast cancer rates were so low in China and she concluded that it was due to their lack of dairy product consumption. This lead her to completely eliminate all dairy products from her diet, which, along with other diet modifications and meditation led to her tumour completely disappearing. As she writes in her book, "Your Life Is In Your Hands":

"I now believe that the link between dairy produce and breast cancer is similar to the link between smoking and lung cancer. I believe that identifying the link between breast cancer and dairy produce, and then developing a diet specifically targeted at maintaining the health of my breast and hormone system, cured me."

If you read Professor Jane Plant's book "Your Life Is In Your Hands", it is immediately evident that she is a very sincere person and has been motivated by true concern to share her cure with others. Personally, I have no doubt that eliminating pasteurized dairy products was the key to her healing.

But there's the crux of this issue: You will note I said, "pasteurized" dairy products. Which indeed is what most of the western world consumes. It's a very important distinction to keep in mind that many doctors and scientists feel it is not RAW milk that causes these kinds of problems, but rather PASTEURIZED milk.

Breastmilk, whether from a cow or human, is a living food, packed full of immune system substances, enzymes to aid digestion, and good bacteria (if the cow is a healthy, pasture-fed - not barn-bound, grain-fed - animal). And once you heat breastmilk (whether from a cow, goat, or human), it is a denatured product that is very difficult to digest and many of the nutrients are unable to be absorbed.

Breastfeeding mothers who pump their milk for baby to have when they're not around, are told to never heat their breastmilk, but rather to put the bottle in a bowl of warm water to slowly raise the temperature. If you do happen to heat your breastmilk, you're told to throw it out and not give it to your baby. This is because heating breastmilk beyond body temperature kills the live enzymes, good bacteria, and denatures the proteins and other co-factors in the milk. It is then considered a toxic substance which could harm the baby.

So, if this is what happens to human breastmilk when it is heated, why should cow breastmilk be any different? It is not.

In addition, homogenization of cow's milk is another nasty process that alters fats and produces substances that many scientists feel harm the arteries and are the primary cause of heart disease.

So again, as with much of our food supply, you have profit-driven motives degrading the safety and nutrient value of our food. To have healthy raw milk, the cows need to roam free on adequate pasture, outside in the fresh air and sunshine. They need to eat fresh grass, not grain or continual hay, the fields need to be free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and the cows need to be free of any growth hormones or antibiotics. As with humans, 'everything goes through to the breastmilk'.

Now which method of milk production (and distribution since pasteurized milk sits on the shelf much longer) do you think is cheaper for the dairy industry? Do they make more money if you drink pasteurized or raw milk? Follow the money and the truth will emerge.

One can't help but wish Professor Plant had gone further in her examination of cultural diets and health. Perhaps it would have led her to this very important distinction between raw and pasteurized dairy products. For example, take the Masai tribe of Kenya - very strong, tall, healthy people and their diet is mostly raw cow's milk and cow's blood.

Dr. Weston A. Price (a renowned dentist in the 1950's and author of "Nutrition And Physical Degeneration") studied a village in the Swiss Alps, whose primary food sources were rye bread, cheese, and fermented milk products. They were extremely healthy with a tooth cavitation rate of less than 1% and no major diseases. But again, all of their dairy products were from raw and often raw, fermented milk. Traditionally fermented foods add additional necessary enzymes and good bacteria to further aid digestion and whole-body health.

Store-bought yogurt - even if it's organic - is not properly fermented, and the strains of bacteria are not potent enough to derive much (if any) benefit from. Additionally, the milk is pasteurized, not raw.

Humans have been consuming fermented milk products (made from raw milk) for thousands of years. There are even tales of how warring armies - like Genghis Khan - took their probiotic starter cultures with them as they travelled to wage war since they recognized how important fermented raw milk was to the health and strength of their armies.

Indeed, if Professor Plant had looked just over the border towards Nepal, she would have discovered that the primary foods of the Nepalese (and Tibetan) diet are raw yak's milk and raw butter. And both these groups of people are renowned for their robust health and longevity.

So yes, throw out all your pasteurized dairy products and never eat/drink them again. In that regard, I am in complete agreement with Dr. Jane Plant and I'm sure they are a principle cause of breast cancer and many other diseases. But then don't ignore the healing benefits of raw dairy products - which are historically and across many cultures proven to be beneficial to the health of humans.

The best approach is to avoid as many risk factors as possible while increasing protective factors.

Doctors and scientists do not know why one person gets cancer and another one does not. Review the following "proven" risk factors that may increase the chance of getting breast cancer:

Estrogen: Being exposed to estrogen over a long time may increase the risk. This increased exposure occurs in the following ways:

1. Early menstruation: Beginning to have menstrual periods at age 11 or younger increases the number of years the breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.

2. Late menopause: The more years a woman menstruates, the longer her breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.

3. Late pregnancy or never being pregnant: Because estrogen levels are lower during pregnancy, the tissue is exposed to more estrogen in women who become pregnant for the first time after age 35 or who never become pregnant.

Other risk factors include:

1. Hormone replacement therapy/Hormone therapy: Therapies given to women who have had their ovaries removed or who have had a hysterectomy

2. Exposure to Radiation: Radiation to the chest for the treatment of cancers starting 10 years after treatment and lasting for a lifetime. The risk depends on the dose of radiation and the age at which it is given. The risk is highest if radiation treatment was used during puberty. Radiation therapy to treat cancer in one breast does not appear to increase the risk of developing cancer in the other breast.

3. Obesity: Increases the risk in post-menopausal women who have not used hormone replacement therapy.

4. Alcohol: Drinking alcohol increases the risk. Risk rises as the amount of alcohol consumed rises.

5. Inherited risk

Protective factors that may decrease the risk include:

1. Exercise: Exercising four or more hours a week may decrease hormone levels and help lower breast cancer risk. This effect is greatest in pre-menopausal women of normal or low weight.

2. The risk appears to be lower if a woman has her first full-term pregnancy before she is 20 years old.

3. Breast-feeding: Because estrogen levels are lower during breastfeeding, a woman may decrease her risk.

4. Ovarian ablation: Estrogen is reduced when one or both ovaries are removed and can decrease the risk.

5. Late menstruation: At age 14 or older decreases the chances of breast cancer.

6. Early menopause: The fewer years a woman menstruates, the shorter the time her breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.

7. Tamoxifen: Lowers the risk in women who are at high risk for the disease. The effect last for several years after drug treatment is stopped.

8. Raloxifene: Helps prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis.

9. Aromatase inhibitors: Lowers the risk of new breast cancers in post-menopausal women with a history of the disease.

10. Prophylactic mastectomy: Some women with high risk may choose to have both breasts removed when there are no signs of cancer. The risk of is lowered in these women. It is very important to have a cancer risk assessment and counseling about all options for possible prevention before making this decision.

11. Prophylactic oophorectomy: Women who have a high risk may choose to have a prophylactic oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries when there are no signs of disease) to decrease the amount of estrogen made by the body and lower the risk. It is very important to have a cancer risk assessment and counseling before making this decision.

12. Fenretinide: At type of vitamin A called retinoid that may lower the risk when given to pre-menopausal women who have a history of the disease.

The following have been proven NOT to be risk factors or their effects are not known:

1. Abortion

2. Oral Contraceptives

3. Progestin-only contraceptives that are injected or implanted

4. Environment: Studies have not proven that being exposed to certain substances in the environment such as chemicals, metals, dust and pollution) increases the risk.

5. It is not proven that a diet low in fat or high in fruits and vegetables will prevent breast cancer.

6. It has not been proven that either active cigarette smoking or passive smoking (inhaling secondhand smoke) increases the risk of developing the disease.

There are new studies going on continuously to find more ways to prevent breast cancer. These studies include:

• The effects of exercise

• The effects of quitting smoking or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals or food supplements

When being diagnosed with cancer, you will be faced with many options depending on how advance your cancer has progressed. One of those options may be to have a mastectomy. Upon learning that I had cancer 5 years ago, this option was presented to me by my surgeon. Upon my next visit to my surgeon I informed him of my not wanting to having a mastectomy, now there is no scientific proof that I know of that may warrant my idea on not having a mastectomy, but I believe there can be danger in the cancer spreading to other parts of your body more quickly.

Now, mind you, my cancer was very advanced when I received my diagnosis. After having 13 lymph nodes removed, I just could not picture being without my breast, and the apparent danger that it involved. So I vouched not to have a mastectomy. Now I don't recommend this to all women, because every woman situation may be different. This was my own personal decision.

In order to deal with cancer effectively, one must educate them self of the possible dangers involved in having a mastectomy. Never rush into something without educating yourself first. You don't want to be faced with regret later. Think things through with friends and family members. Do as much research as you can before having your breast removed. Remember, your breast are beautiful, just like you, and you only get one set of them, so give it a lot of thought before proceeding with your mastectomy.

Remember having a mastectomy will not guarantee that your cancer will not come back. Usually with a few lifestyle changes and education, one can preserve their breast for many years. In this game, there are no guarantees, but with faith all will prevail.

As I mentioned in my earlier article, breast cancer is now a global concern. Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in United States causing the death of millions women. A recent study has shown that women having a vitamin D deficiency when a breast cancer is diagnosed have a greater death rate than those having a proper amount of vitamin D. This is striking example of the importance of vitamin D in the prevention of breast cancer.

Vitamin D was discovered in 1919 after vitamins A, B and C. This vitamin is playing and essential role in calcium absorption, in the bones growth as well as in the good functioning of the organs of our body. Unlike other vitamins that come from nutrition, most of vitamin D (around 90%) comes from the action of the sun on our skin. This important role of the sun in the vitamin D production is a problem for the populations leaving in the north parts of the world, less exposed to sunlight particularly during winter. Studies have shown that people living in northern countries have a vitamin D deficiency during winter time.

BREAST CANCER DISLIKES VITAMIN "D"

This vitamin D deficiency can be very dangerous because this vitamin can prevent the development of various types of cancer, mainly colon and breast cancer. A study published in The Breast Cancer Journal 2008, it is mentioned that more you are away from the equator, so with less sunshine, greater is the impact of breast cancer because women in those regions have less vitamin D in their blood. Researchers from the University of Toronto have showed not only that vitamin D has a protective effect in the prevention but also in the likelihood to survive to a breast cancer. It is tragic to say and it has been proven, 73% of women with a vitamin D deficiency have greater risk to die from this illness.

INCREASE VITAMIN D INTAKE

It is easy to conclude from those results that it is essential to increase vitamin D intake in order to prevent more efficiently cancer and breast cancer. International experts recommend to increase vitamin D daily intake from 200 UI to 1000 UI in order to reduce cancer risks. From May to September, with a ten minutes exposure to the sun, the body can produce up to 10,000 UI of vitamin D. But, it is advised to be careful because too much exposure can increase the risks of skin cancer. From October to April, it is important to rely on other sources of vitamin D intake including natural supplements with a content of 1000 UI per capsule. It is simple, economical and efficient. Take action and increase your vitamin D intake to live a healthier and longer life.

In Chinese, a crisis is expressed in two characters: danger and hidden opportunity. As a breast-cancer survivor, I have faced many challenges, but God has revealed to me opportunities that translate into incredible blessings. I share some suggestions below for those struggling with this disease.

1. Ponder scriptures

Let biblical passages like Psalm 119:105 (likening the Word of God to a lamp) illuminate pathways for healing and reveal any encroaching thorny thickets. Use verses as your penlight to avoid stumbling around in the darkness.

When I joined the ranks of breast-cancer survivors, I clung to Psalm 23 for solace. During chemotherapy I reflected on how God was comforting me as I walked through my own valley of the shadow. Review the list of common emotions in the front or back of your Bible to locate verses that speak to particular sentiments, such as worry, weariness, or fear. Gideon Bibles found in many hotels contain these sections to ease the troubled traveler's mind.

2. Pray unceasingly

One of my childhood treasures was a book entitled "The Lord's Prayer." Each page was inscribed with a verse from Jesus' model prayer in Matt. 6:9-13. Bright illustrations of kneeling children with uplifted hands accompanied each verse. I was captivated by the images. Although as a child I was not yet ready for Jesus' heartrending prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, this picture book was early preparation for a more mature prayer life.

Prayer is a powerful tool. Like African prayer warriors thriving in the midst of deprivation, during my treatment I lifted prayers to the only One who could take away troubling emotions and side-effects. Lying in bed, I visualized my pallet being lifted to God through the roof in a reverse move from the paralytic brought from the roof to Jesus for healing in Mark 2. I strongly felt God's healing warmth as I prayer-walked upward to meet Him.

3. Treasure fellowship

As a cancer survivor I most assuredly relished the cards, hugs, prayers, and empathy of friends. The blessings of others that dispelled my pouts through bouts of cancer were crucial to healing. Hebrews 10: 24-25 tells us to encourage one another and meet regularly for worship and fellowship. The latter can include simply listening, sharing a meal, or offering a Bible study to encourage camaraderie and spiritual enrichment. My husband and I were blessed by the insights shared at our home Bible study during my cancer treatment.

4. Make church attendance a priority

Ideally, the breast cancer survivor should attend a local church, for reasons extending beyond congregational worship. Shortly after I was diagnosed with cancer, members of a former church we attended rallied around me in prayer for healing. Their love transcended church membership, and coalesced with that of members of our new church. These compassionate individuals provided needed meals and child care as well as spiritual support, something I would have missed had I not attended church.

If your breast cancer has left you home-bound or residing in a facility, you can find other options to connect with a church. Ideas include listening to a radio station offering Bible studies and uplifting choir or praise music, watching a Christian worship service on TV, or enjoying sermons from a visiting pastor.

5. Obtain Biblical counseling

Counseling from a biblical perspective can address many issues with which breast cancer survivors struggle, including guilt, anger, and non-forgiveness. I sought counseling from a local church and a crisis pregnancy center for issues arising from my cancer diagnoses. If these resources are not available, on-line tools are at the disposal of the computer literate. Some people prefer the anonymity of e-mail counseling. Focus on the Family (at (800) A-FAMILY) provides referrals for telephonic counseling sessions.

Financial counseling may be available through a local church, the American Cancer Society, or resources written by Christian financial experts such as Larry Burkett. I learned to organize my bills and health information into labeled file folders, and used my insurance company's website to access histories of appointments and payment records.

6. Recognize life seasons

The time spanning when I was first diagnosed to the end of treatment was only for a season. Recognize with Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 the times for every activity under heaven. Of all the seasons listed in this passage, "a time to laugh" appeals to me most. Many studies show that humor helps relieve stress, combat depression, and extend quality of life.

My three sons, ranging in age from 3 to 11 when I was diagnosed, reacted to my cancer by watching how I responded. Comic relief went a long way to dispel the tension they felt. I thoroughly enjoy watching these boys laugh at black-and-white slapstick comedians like Abbott and Costello and at modern-day comedies like "Chicken Run."

"A time to dance" is another fun season. Try some salsa dancing, like a survivor I overheard in the chemotherapy infusion room. It will lift your spirits as well as your feet, control weight, and rev your circulation to the max!

7. Witness using personal testimony

While Christians don't always recover from diseases even though prayed for, they can still use their adversity to glorify God in their lives. Jesus modeled that approach when he delayed coming to Lazarus in Bethany until Lazarus died. The story is found in John 11:3-6. When Jesus heard of Lazarus' sickness, he assured his followers that the outcome would be God-glorifying. Often, the more severe the suffering, the more wondrously God works through the power of personal testimony.

On the Titanic, some Christians gladly relinquished their places on life rafts to the unsaved, witnessing powerfully to their faith in eternal life. We've also heard of Christians in the burning World Trade Center on 9-11-01 witnessing in their last moments to non-believers in the midst of unimaginable terror. 2 Timothy 1:8 admonishes us not to be ashamed to testify about our Lord. It challenges me to go forth boldly, knowing that none can take away my personal story.

My husband's emails on God's mercy throughout my cancer ordeal were sent to all who were curious how I was bearing up. God is faithful in fanning the global fire of the gospel through such testimony.

8. Resolve to understand God

Some disasters shake us to our very core. When I felt myself helplessly mired in the muck of cancer, I recalled Jesus' parable in Matt. 7:24-27. He reassured us that we are set on solid ground, not in sinking sand. As I put our Savior's words into practice, God pulled me up and out of cancer-induced depression and into an indescribable joy. He is the Rock upon which I set my hope.

In the midst of the unexpected, God is there. For example, on September 11, 2001 otherwise annoying delays on their way to work saved some employees' lives. Now, when I am stuck in traffic and an ambulance rushes by on its way to the accident ahead, I bow my head in prayer for the ones affected by such tragedy, rather than wallowing in self-pity over the minor nuisance of a traffic jam. We should consciously determine to understand how God is using such seeming disturbances and thank him for them.

9. Find volunteering opportunities

Almost two millennia ago, Paul taught that all the commandments are summed up in loving your neighbor as yourself (Romans 13:9). Breast-cancer survivors are greatly appreciative of all the sacrifices of others from which they have benefited. Below are some ideas for showing love to fellow cancer strugglers.

If there is no breast-cancer support group in your area, start one. The locale might be your own church for women who are most comfortable in a Christian environment. Or you can volunteer for a local American Cancer Society branch, helping women in myriad ways.

Counseling others in person or by phone or email is another viable possibility. Open any Bible and appropriate passages will jump out to address the situation at hand. Courses on training counselors might be offered at a local church or on-line.

In another vein, you can ask your oncologist if you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial. Not only would you receive state-of-the-art treatment, but you would be personally contributing to advancement of breast cancer research. In this way, the survivor can directly make a difference in moving the whole planet Earth to a "cancer-free zone."

10. Leave behind stereotypes

Stereotyping often leads to judgment. People who appear to have their lives together may not. Jesus taught us in Luke 6:37 not to judge, so that we would not be judged. The breast cancer survivor should not presume that a person who avoids her or doesn't laugh at her jokes cares nothing for her. Some people limited their discussions with me because they didn't trust how they would handle difficult emotions. Certain nurses find it hard to identify with patients' humor because they witness daily so much devastation in the lives of others.

From a different perspective, those dealing with cancer survivors should not assume that such survivors can perform all tasks, regardless of their outward appearance. Because of lymphedema that developed in my arm after lymph-node removal and radiation, I do not lift or carry heavy items. I make others aware of this limitation, since it is not obvious. Conversely, one should not place artificial limits on cancer survivors. For example, during cancer treatments I kept up my regular aerobic exercise. I continued my work as an attorney in a high-intensity environment, although I did revert to a part-time schedule for a season. I painted landscapes. While this amazed some people, it is not uncommon for cancer survivors to adhere to old routines for a semblance of normalcy. The bottom line is to endeavor to delve into what makes a person tick before reaching conclusions.

These are some ways I found to fend off the breast-cancer blues. I pray that those facing the crisis of breast cancer will find hidden opportunities and blessings, and hear the Savior say at the pearly gates of heaven, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Daily ringing in my ears over a decade ago was the mantra of the Seven Dwarves, with an Oliver twist: "Want more, want clothes, it's off to work I s'pose." Rather than wielding mining picks to uncover jewels, I was probing for legal gems deep within the dark recesses of the law. As a patent attorney in middle management, I not only supervised the work of six attorneys, but also managed my own heavy case load. And I was raising three sons of grade-school age with my husband while teaching Sunday school.

Whizzing through the tunnel-visions of the fast lane, I found scheduling of routine preventative medical tests to be inconvenient. Although I did manage to secure a baseline mammogram at age 40, it revealed nothing of concern. And a second scan the next year showed no abnormalities. So, I thought smugly, I don't need to be so vigilant. Postponement of mammograms was reinforced by a false impression that vegetarians don't get breast cancer, particularly those my age who exercise and have no genetic predisposition. So work and family obligations dominated my life, punctuated by restful interludes of worship on Sundays.

Until I found a suspicious lump in my breast at age 43.

After the lump was confirmed as breast cancer, I sought God in earnest. Prayer support from friends and strangers alike was crucial to my treatment decisions and emotional healing. I opted for a lumpectomy with chemotherapy and radiation. Since I was generally in good health, I resumed work about a month after the operation.

Strange sensations enveloped me as I returned to the office. Nagging me was the notion that cancer is aggravated, if not caused, by undue stress. When I began chemotherapy, I would feel too sick immediately after each infusion to tackle serious assignments. My employer generously accommodated a reduced work schedule on those occasions. Valiant attempts were made to balance God-centered activities with work, exercise, and family-and deal with the distress of having cancer at the prime of my career.

Working while undergoing chemotherapy was nevertheless restorative. Giving advice to colleagues during treatment satisfied a deep longing within me to be needed. My work responsibilities offered a diversion from anxiety and gave me a sense of professional worth. Through Christ's intervention I called in sick only rarely, when I felt too ill to drive.

After chemotherapy I endured radiation, missing work every morning for six weeks straight. But God bestowed His grace upon me again as I bounced back unscathed from each treatment.

Shortly after radiation ended, when I turned 44, my manager, a Vice-President, died unexpectedly from an apparent heart attack. This reality check made me seek relief from heavy management responsibility. Sustained in prayer, I decided with my new director's blessing to supervise only three attorneys and a paralegal, and work part-time. Consequently, my schedule was reduced to a four-day work week.

In corporate America, I imagine that the "cancer survivor" track that I chose is viewed similarly to the "mommy track." In both cases circumstances alter the employee's sense of what is most important in the work-life balance. Cancer became for me an acceptable excuse for dethroning work from its exalted position atop my list of priorities.

Scuttlebutt kicked into high gear at the proverbial office coolers when I forsook the management track. But I gladly said sayonara to competing in the special Olympic event of vaulting through the glass ceiling. And said hello to being more of a respected work advisor.

Several months after that I moved away from corporate headquarters and began remote telecommuting from Northern California, managing only an attorney and a paralegal. I would make regular 200-mile road trips back to the San Francisco Bay Area to have face-time with employees as needed. And I settled into a workspace with dormer windows overlooking the garden amidst God's bounteous creation.

While it lasted, I treasured the one day a week I had off from work. Some of that time was used to contemplate what it meant not to slave every weekday. But occasional weekend spillovers of work continued.

Notwithstanding the tangible advantages of part-time work, after a year I realized the greater efficiencies of having a continuous work week, and decided to resume full-time employment. Not long afterward, a new malignant tumor emerged in the same breast.

Coping with cancer treatments this second time was decidedly easier for me as a distant telecommuter. Although I was destined to undergo bilateral mastectomies and more aggressive chemotherapy, at least I didn't have to dress up and commute in traffic among home, headquarters, and hospitals. The logistics of juggling work and cancer treatments is daunting enough without coping with metropolitan stressors.

Being able to take a spur-of-the-moment nap whenever fatigue set in was an added perk.
Further, contact with myriad people at the corporate office would increase my risk of getting an infection. In the general work environment, the best policy was to wash my hands as often as I thought about it.

This hygienic routine paid off during business travel, when I was exposed to the public on planes. I worked out my travel schedule between treatments, coordinating with the oncology nurses. Travel plans could be scuttled at a moment's notice due to side effects, such as low counts of white blood cells. But God in His mercy knows my love of travel. I never fell ill when on trans-continental-or even trans-Atlantic-flights for business reasons.

Resolved to conquer any anxiety during this season of harsh chemo, I resolved to journal my blessings. One entry: "American Cancer Society provided wigs, bras-and alleluia-complimentary make-up!"

Another journal entry chronicled my excellent employment situation. My husband was a self-employed real estate agent during my cancer bouts, with no medical coverage. Besides upholding my professional dignity, the job I had provided my family with premium, low co-pay health insurance. And my company was the ideal employer for me at that time. Had I quit the work force and sought new insurance as a cancer survivor, I would have faced astronomical premiums to secure near-comparable health coverage. Alternatively, if I had changed employers to assume a less demanding position, I would have had to re-build trust in the new environment.

My perfectionism has waned since cancer reared its ugly head. I'm sure this represents progress, but somehow it would lack pizzazz on a résumé. Imagine the line: "Lawyer seeks position with laid-back company to interact with clients and draft documents under relaxing circumstances with regular breaks." Not a good first impression. Employers should understand, nonetheless, that the most perfect employees are not perfectionists.

My cancer diagnoses allowed me to reflect on what God considers most important in my life, and to make changes where changes make sense. Having a deeper appreciation for my co-workers' struggles, I regularly exercise my muscles of compassion toward them.

In Romans 16:5-7 Paul commends Mary for her work in promoting the gospel. Whether I labor for a business, or in retirement or full-time ministry, as a cancer survivor my number one priority now is to please Christ. After all, the Seven Dwarves are only make-believe men, while serving the Lord can make believers out of men.

Importance of Early Diagnosis

Sometimes, physicians fail to properly diagnose cancer in their patients. In fact, the leading cause of all medical error or medical malpractice lawsuits is the misdiagnosis of cancer.

Timely detection of cancer is a matter of life and death.

For example, breast cancer has a 95% survival rate when caught at its earliest stage. When breast cancer advances to "stage 4." an individual only has a 7% chance of survival. Indeed, the key to successful treatment of most types of cancer is early diagnosis.

Other types of common cancers for which early treatment is crucial are cancer of the prostate, cervix, colon, lung, kidney, ovaries, skin, and testicles. It is important for your family physician to check for cancers that may pose a greater risk to you, due to your family history, gender, or age. Most cancer tests are painless. Regular cancer screening and early diagnosis can greatly increase your prospects for a long and quality life.

Some of the mistakes that a doctor may make in screening for cancer include:

* Failure to understand or notice the nature of a patient's complaints.
* Failure to order the proper test, such as a mammogram or PSA test.
* Failure to properly read or interpret test results.
* Failure to refer a patient to a specialist for further testing.
* Failure to note that a patient's family history increases the risk of a particular type of cancer.
* Failure to notice a mass or mistaking a malignant mass for one that is benign.
* Failure to run routine tests, such as a prostrate screening for males over age fifty.
* Failure to test someone who is at risk, because of age or ethnicity. For example, African-American males are at increased risk of prostrate cancer and need screening tests from the age of forty.
* Failure to follow-up with a patient if cancer should be suspected.

Sometimes, the reason for delayed cancer diagnosis is not the fault of a physician. You need to take care of your own health and get medical check-ups.

If you have discomfort, pain, an unusual lump or mass, or other health concerns, be sure to tell your doctor. Also, let your physician know about any family or personal history of cancer. If you believe that you are not being adequately screened for cancer risks, then you should express this concern to your physician. Never be afraid to seek a second opinion, if you think one is required.

There are many reasons why you should talk with a medical malpractice lawyer about your legal rights after an instance of cancer misdiagnosis. After you or a loved one suffers from a cancer misdiagnosis, it is important to talk with a personal injury attorney with experience in medical malpractice law for several compelling reasons:

Put a Fighter In Your Corner

Insurance companies will vigorously fight against paying damages to an medical malpractice victim -- especially cases involving cancer misdiagnosis. You need a law firm that will vigorously represent your interests in these proceedings and counsel you as your claim progresses.

Peace of Mind

You owe it to yourself and your family to seek experienced legal counsel. To protect all your legal rights, you need a law firm that is well versed in the complicated laws that govern medical malpractice law.

The Financial Impact of Injuries

The cost of a cancer misdiagnosis can be catastrophic. This is an extreme hardship when the injuries make work impossible and rent, gas, and medical bills start to accumulate. You need a law firm that will help you recover these costs from the insurance company or the at-fault party. A study recently indicated that injured parties represented by legal counsel obtain far greater recoveries than those individuals who attempt to represent their own interests.

Attorney Marya Sieminski joined the Law Offices of Sam Bernstein in 2003. She is admitted to practice law in Michigan state courts and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated magna cum laude from Wayne State University Law School. Marya has worked as a trial lawyer for 10 years and exclusively represented victims in personal injury litigation and in workers compensation claims. She also was appointed by the Governor to serve on the State of Michigan Workers Compensation Qualifications Advisory Committee.

How do you know if you are a candidate for cancer? It is based on a genetic criteria and your overall health. The best way to avoid this life changing illness is to be sure to do your annual check ups and to stay in close contact with your physician and to stay updated on all the new information and technology in regards to this illness. Another way to stay on top of things is to talk to other individuals who have dealt with this illness and have to go through all the chemo and radiation treatments and how it has affected not only them but also their loved ones.

Some ways to help with preventing this from invading your life and the lives of those who you are close to is to eat a proper diet,exercise regularly, and do your monthly self breast exams. Doing you MBE (monthly breast exams) is not a cure but can lead to very early detection and easier to get under control. It takes up to seven years for a cancerous mass to grow to the size of a pea. So be sure to be more cautious and aware of this disease.

The best way to beat it is to be educated and use your resources to become more aware of the causes and ways to cure it and to live a long and prosperous life. With that in mind if you ever have any questions or concerns in regards to this matter please feel free to contact me and I will be more then willing to help you the best that I can.

I am a mom of 4 children and 2 of them are girls. This subject is very important not only to us moms but it can be critical to our daughters as they grow up. The more we educate ourselves on this disease the more we can help our children when they grow up and they can live by our example. If we take care of ourselves they will follow suit.

Femara is a Godsend for many women due to the fact that this breast cancer suppressant really works! The whole idea to using this medication is to keep your breast cancer in remission for as long as possible. Femara is a fairly new product, believe it or not, some women, and even doctors, have never heard of the drug before.

The main information you will need to know is, if your breast cancer is estrogen positive. If so, you might want to research this information further before discussing it with your oncologist. The basic requirement for using femara is that a woman must be postmenopausal before using femara.

Femara works on the fact that it keeps the excess estrogen produced by the adrenal gland from entering your body, therefore keeping your cancer in remission. The less estrogen that your body produces , the less chance of a breast cancer recurrence. Since estrogen positive breast cancer feeds on excess estrogen from your body, you will have more chances of a breast cancer recurrence due to high estrogen levels. The daily intake of femara is one tiny pill daily. Femara does come with side effects. If you're lucky, the side effects will be few.

The one side effect that most women complain of is rapid weight gain. I will teach you in another article how to combat excess weight gain when taking femara, as I too have experienced this big talked about side effect. Due to the vast improvements in modern medicine, surviving breast cancer has made the journey that much easier. Take care of yourself and never ever give up the fight!