Cosmetics and Food

Life has settled into a groove. I swallow Tomoxifen in the evening and hope that it does its job of preventing estrogen from binding to the cells in my breast and causing another cancer. My breast is still swollen and despite reassurance from Sigal that the swelling is due to the radiation, the fear that there are other, more sinister, causes is ever present, occasionally leading to a minor anxiety attack. Its dimensions apropos the other, hopefully healthy, one reminds me that we should be careful what we wish for - I'd always wanted to be more buxom but my hope extended to both breasts sharing equal proportions; the devil is no doubt enjoying a prolonged snigger at my lopsidedness.

The hot flashes are still a major annoyance. Last month, I had an appointment with a gynecological endocrinologist with an unpronounceable name (Dr. Zlotsover. try it out loud) who prescribed a natural, over-the-counter remedy based on black cohosh. Black cohosh apparently improves the functionality of Tomoxifen and recoups bone mass lost as a result of taking Tomoxifen, However, according to several reputable sites I found on the internet, the jury is out on black cohosh - not only are there conflicting conclusions from the many clinical trials, but it might actually be contraindicated in breast cancer patients (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BlackCohosh.asp). Apart from that, it doesn't seem to be helping - there are days when I feel that the flashes are less frequent and less intense but the next day, they're back, with increased vigor. However, it takes about six to eight weeks for the black cohosh to do the job, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

In my quest for optimal health (having been so cruelly deprived of the illusion that that's what I had all these years the cancer was surreptitiously growing inside me), I've begun paying more attention to what I put on my body, not just in it. I've recently discovered a supermarket close to my office that sells organic vegetables and fruit alongside non-organic produce as well as rows of spices and herbs that claim health-inducing properties, every type of pasta on the planet, freshly-made bread with whole grains, goat's milk ice-cream, a soup bar, and so on and so on. The ambiance is rustic as establishments emphasising health tend to be, although the effect is somewhat marred by containers of Osem chicken soup powder at the entrance to the store. At the back, there is a shop selling all manner of toiletries that purportedly contain no harmful properties and were not tested on animals. In fact, the range of lotions, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, deoderants, etc. is overwhelming, as indeed are the prices. But who wouldn't hand over a few more shekels to promote good health!

The question is, does it? The market is cashing in on the current obsession with good health. (There's a furniture store near my office called Green Furniture, as if to deny that their furniture is depleting the rain forests. On the other hand, the proprietor's family name could well be Green.) How much of it is a scam? Do we assume that the labels on products are telling all the truth? Is the literature telling us to avoid products with sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol and petrolatum based on substantiated proof that these substances, even if they don’t cause cancer, are harmful to our bodies in other ways? Is the absence of harmful ingredients from the packaging sufficient indication that the listed ingredients are indeed good for you, or at least, will not cause you any harm? How is a simple consumer with no training in pharmaceuticals or chemistry supposed to make intelligent decisions?

The sales assistants project an air of knowledge about their products and are seemingly sincere in their belief that the products are not harmful but that's what they have been trained to do. Notwithstanding the sincerity of the manufacturers and sales staff, the possibility that some substance hitherto believed to be harmless could become toxic in combination with other substances cannot be precluded. These questions might seem obsessional but I find it hard to accept the superiority of a product, a food or a belief just because people with persuasive skills tell me to.

In spite of the questions and doubts, I've decided to to err on the side of conventional wisdom and buy the toxin-free products gradually, choosing those that suit me, and phasing out those containing ingredients identified as harmful. And if these products are indeed all they are purported to be, I hope that my current habit of mixing them - such as the healthy, pomegranate-smelling shampoo with the unhealthy conditioner, and vice versa - will not cost me any brownie points.

The Cancer Notebook by Julia Chiappetta provides a pretty full breakdown of which cosmetic ingredients to avoid - in fact, it contains quite a lot of useful information; highly recommended.

Scepticism also describes my approach to what I put in my body. Every morning, Nachum and I down a glass of green magma, a bright-green powder smelling of grass, mixed with water (http://www.greenfoods.com/products/green_magma.html). Based on barley grass, this tasteless mixture lays claim to promoting good health by supporting cardiovascular function and supplying the body with a generous dollop of antioxidants. Efforts to locate independent research on the efficacy of green magma proved fruitless but I was directed to http://www.greenfoods.com/news/#1 by the manufacturers of Green Foods. My conclusion was that so long as it does no harm, the worst that can happen is that it does no good. In the meantime, I wrote to Sloan Kettering to ask if they had ever conducted research on green magma, but apart from an auto-generated acknowledgement, I have not yet heard from them.

I have begun to eat with abandon and in the last few months, have gained around seven kgs, which makes me feel clumsy and uncomfortable. Having eaten according to the rules for so long and yet falling foul of cancer, I have thrown caution to the winds and, although our fridge now contains goats' dairy products, I have eaten cows' dairy products that were high in fat, aware that dairy foods cause mucus in the body and that cancer cells thrive on mucus. I have eaten cookies and cakes, aware that cancer cells thrive on refined sugars. On the other hand, Nachum has been making me a weekly portion of soup of carrots, yams and squash because I was advised to eat orange food.

In the battery of tests scheduled over the next few weeks, I've included a dietician to help me streamline my eating habits. She will no doubt dispense advice based on current conventional wisdom.