Women's Information Network
Against Breast Cancer

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Posted by Betsy Mullen on 4/13/2001 from 64.12.105.163:

In reply to: Scared... posted by Julie on 3/15/2001 from 65.6.5.138:

Dear Julie:

WIN Against Breast Cancer has several resources that I think will be very helpful to you. We have our Breast Buddy Breast Care Program which matches women who are at least 1-year post treatment (excluding tamoxifen) with new patients to mentor and support them throughout the diagnosis, decision-making, treatment and recovery periods -- for at least 1-year. We make every effort to match Buddies with new patients by age, geography, marital status, type and stage of breast cancer, type of treatment, hobbies and on and on. If you are interested, we could look into matching you with a buddy who shares a profile similar to yours.

We will be happy to send you educational materials regarding a wide range of breast cancer and health related topics such as various videos including nutrition during cancer treatment, dealing with side effects of treatment, tamoxifen, complementary approaches to cancer treatment and much more depending upon your needs. In addition, WIN Against Breast Cancer has published a very extensive Breast Health/Breast Cancer Resource Guide. We will be delighted to send these materials to you (all of which are free of charge to patients and the public).


Additional WIN Resources that we will be happy to send to you, also free of charge for you to keep include:

Fighting Cancer -- A Step-By-Step Guide to Helping Yourself Fight Cancer (1992, 268 pages) and Cancer...There's Hope (1990,185 pages) Authors: Richard and Annette Bloch (R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc.) Written by a cancer survivor to help cancer patients "Do everything in their power to help themselves and their doctor so they will have the best chance of fighting their disease." Available in English and Spanish. To receive a copy of either of these books at no charge, contact the Cancer Information Service at (800) 4-CANCER or Annette and Richard Bloch's Cancer Hot Line at (800) 433-0464, or WIN Against Breast Cancer at (626) 332-2255.

From Victim To Victor -- The Wellness Community Guide to Fighting for Recovery for Cancer Patients and Their Families Author: Harold H. Benjamin, with Richard Trubo (Dell Publishing, 1989; ISBN: 0-440-50163-6; 218 pages) Provides techniques to help cope with cancer emotionally, psychologically and physically; enables the reader to regain the control that they feel they have lost to cancer. To obtain a copy of this book, contact the national office of T.W.C. at (310) 314-2555, or WIN Against Breast Cancer at (626) 332-2255 (while supplies last).

Getting Well Again Authors: O. Carl Simonton, M.D., Stephanie Matthews-Simonton and James L. Creighton (Bantam Books, 1978, 287 pages; SBN: 0-553-28033-3) The bestselling clasdsic about the Simonton's Lifesaving self-awareness techniques.

Guide For Cancer Supporters -- Step-By-Step Ways to Help a Relative or Friend Fight Cancer Authors: Annette and Richard Bloch (R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, 1992, 144 pages) Written by a cancer survivor and his wife to assist anyone who wants to help cancer patients improve the quality of their lives and their chances of successfully fighting the disease. To receive a copy of this book at no charge, contact The Cancer Hot Line at (800) 433-0464, or WIN Against Breast Cancer at (626) 332-2255.


Additional Helpful Resources


Here are some excerpts from our WIN Against Breast Cancer Resource Guide that I think will also be helpful to you:


Breast Cancer Resources, Organizations and Services

Breast Cancer Resources Available by Computer

The Cancer Information Service (CIS)

The Cancer Information Service (CIS) is a program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Information specialists, some of whom are Spanish-speaking, are available to answer questions and take your order for materials. This service is available to the general public, patients, their families and health professionals.

Booklets pertaining to breast health and breast cancer are available free of charge. Many of the booklets are also available in Spanish. A complete list of publications is available upon request. Call or access via: 1 (800) 4–CANCER; http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/

You can also receive state-of-the art information on breast cancer through Physician Data Query (PDQ) when you call the toll-free CIS number.

About PDQ

PDQ represents up-to-date information on the accepted standard treatment protocol on any specific type of cancer. This information is obtained from major cancer centers in the United States and contains input from physicians and scientists nationally and internationally. The data is reviewed and updated by a panel of specialists on a monthly basis. PDQ is broken down into the following categories:

1. Prognosis

2. Cellular Classification

3. Staging Information

4. Treatment Overview

5. Treatment by Cell Type or Stage

6. Clinical Trials


You can also access this information in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; using a fax machine, through CancerFax at (301) 402-5874. A CancerFax voice will guide the process.


In addition to PDQ, the following electronic resources are available to keep you informed:

CancerNet

CancerNet allows you to obtain, through electronic mail, information about cancer from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). CancerNet lets you request information from the PDQ database along with fact sheets about cancer from NCI’s Office of Cancer Communications. CancerNet also provides access to abstracts and citations on a variety of topics from the CancerLit database. Some of the information is available in Spanish. CancerNet can be accessed through several different networks including Internet and BitNet. The information in CancerNet is updated on a monthly basis. CancerNet is a free service unless your local computer center charges for the use of e-mail.


There are two statements available: one for patients and one for health care professionals. If you would like to receive the same information in Spanish, substitute the prefix "cs-" in front of the number. For a full list of codes call:

1 (800) 4-CANCER or send a message to the e-mail address listed below.

The following codes will give you access to PDQ statements about breast cancer:

Patient Information Code #: cn-200013; Spanish: cs-200013

Physician Information Code #: cn-100013; Spanish: cs-100013


How to Use CancerNet

1. Select the code number (see above codes).

2. Address your mail message to cancernet@icicb.nci.nih.gov.

3. Leave the subject line of the message blank (hit CR). In the body of the message, enter the code number.

4. End your message. It takes an average of ten minutes to receive your information.


Additonal Suggested Reading

General Cancer Information

Informed Decisions -- The Complete Book of Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery Authors: Gerald P. Murphy, M.D., Lois B. Morris, Diane Lange. (Viking Penguin, 1997; ISBN: 0-670-85370-4; 689 pages, $39.95) A comprehensive and user friendly guide compiled and published by the American Cancer Society to facilitate informed decision making: geared to help cancer patients and their families learn more about cancer; its causes and risks; treatment strategies and living with cancer.

The Chemotherapy Survival Guide -- Information, Suggestions and Support to Help You Get Through Author: J. McKay (New Harbinger Publishers, 1993; ISBN: 1879237571; 199 pages, $11.95/paperback) Explains how chemotherapy works to fight cancer and provides information on how to prevent, minimize and deal with side effects; how to maintain good nutrition and reduce stress throughout treatment. Can be ordered from publisher by calling (800) 748-6273.

Complementary/Alternative Approaches to Treatment

An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer Authors: W. John Diamond, M.D., W. Lee Cowden, M.D., with Burton Goldberg. Gives complete protocols using multiple therapy remedies, and a guide to innovative cancer approaches. (Future Medicine Publishing, Inc. 1997; $49.95, ISBN: 1-887299-01-7) To order call (800) 333-HEAL (800/333-4325).

The Chronic Pain Control Workbook Authors: Ellen Mohr Catalano, M.A.; Kimeron N. Hardin, Ph.D., (New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 1996; ISBN: 1-57224-050-4; 250 pages, $ 17.95) A step-by-step guide for coping with and overcoming pain.

The Road to Immunity -- How to Survive and Thrive in a Toxic World Authors: Kenneth Block, M.D., Nellie Sabin. (Pocket Books, 1997; ISBN: 0-671-54507-8; 426 pages, $14.00) Explains in detail how the immune system works and how to boost the immune system with maximum effectiveness combining traditional medical treatments with proven complementary therapies to: bolster the power of cancer protocols, restore immune system balance, reduce stress and reduce the risk of getting sick or developing allergies.

Third Opinion Author: John M. Fink (Avery Publishing Group, 1992; ISBN: 0-89529-503-2; 312 pages, $14.95) An international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases.


Menopause

Estrogen the Natural Way Author: Nina Shandler Villard Books, 1997; ISBN: 0-375-75141-6; 300 pages, $14.95) Contains over 250 Recipes to reduce the risk of breast cancer, benefit bones to protect against osteoporosis, lower cholesterol and alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

Menopause Naturally -- Preparing for the Second Half of Life Author: Sadja Greenwood, M.D. (Volcano Press 1992; ISBN: 0-912078-95-2; 213 pages, $13.95) Presents information on menopause: "fallacies, facts and new possibilities"; discusses your appearance in the menopausal years; hormones and physiology; hot flashes and how to live with them; how to keep your bones strong; how to avoid osteoporosis and more.

Menopause Without Medicine Third Edition Author: Linda Ojeda, Ph.D. (Hunter House, 1995; ISBN: 0-89793-177-7; 334 pages, $13.95/paperback; $23.95/hard cover) Discusses a natural approach to menopause with medical and complementary research on breast cancer; risk factors, possible environmental causes and the importance of a healthy diet, mood swings, how to improve and stabilize your mood by changing your diet, osteoporosis and suggested resources.


Psychosocial Help for Cancer Patients, Their Families and Friends

The Alpha Book on Cancer and Living for Patients, Family and Friends Head Writers: Mason Drukman, Ph.D. and Irene Elmer (Alpha Institute, 1993; ISBN: 0-9632360-0-8; 486 pages, $16.95) A useful tool for cancer patients, family members and friends. Provides perspectives and advice from health professionals and cancer patients on all aspects of living with cancer. Includes "How to develop your own coping program"; "Why there is reason to have hope when dealing with cancer"; and "How to talk to your doctor". Can be ordered from the publisher by calling (800) 866-4111.

Cancer As a Turning Point -- A Handbook for People with Cancer, Their Families, and Health Professionals Author: Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D. (Plume, Published by the Penguin Group, 1990; ISBN: 0-452-26419-7; 207 pages; $8.95) Discusses: Thirty-five Years of Mind-Body Cancer Research; Psychological Change to Mobilize the Compromised Immune System; Cancer and the Family; The Problem of Despair; The Holistic Approach to Health, Minimizing "Burnout" for All Concerned.

The Feeling Good Handbook Author: David D. Burns, M.D. (Penguin Group, 1990; ISBN: 0-452-26174-0; 587 pages, $16.95) Provides new techniques and step-by-step activities to help you cope with life’s everyday problems. Designed to show you how to feel good about yourself and the people you care about.

50 Essential Things To Do When the Doctor Says It's Cancer Author: Greg Anderson (Plume, Published by the Penguin Group, 1993; ISBN: 0-452-26954-7; 147 pages; $8.00) Written by a cancer survivor, intended to supplement the care and guidance of the medical team and includes discussion of ways to boost the effectiveness of your treatment program, enhancing your immune system with diet and fitness, "whole-person wellness" and the beliefs and attitudes that maximize it.

Love, Medicine & Miracles Author: Bernie Siegel, M.D. (Harper Collins Publishers, 1987; ISBN: 0-89845-767-X; $12.00, also available on audiocassette; 2 cassettes/3 hours, $16.95) A guide for people who want to participate fully in their recovery process. Explains how to cope with illness and how to use illness as a catalyst for personal growth. Discusses the mind-body connection to facilitate change and healing and includes information on visualization and meditation. Explores the roles of love, spirituality, hope and unconscious beliefs in healing.


The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook Fourth Edition Authors: Martha Davis, Ph.D., Elizabeth Robbins-Eshelman, M.S.W., Mathew McKay, Ph.D. (New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 1995; ISBN: 1-879237-82-2; 276 pages, $14.95) A resource for constructing your own custom-made approach to handling stress, includes Coping Skills Training, Self-Hypnosis, "Thought Stopping" and Cue-controlled Relaxation. Can also be ordered by catalog from the publisher at (800) 748-6273.


Well Being and General Health

A Women’s Book of Life -- The Biology, Psychology and Spirituality of the Feminine Life Cycle Author: Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., (Riverhead Books, 1996; ISBN: 1-57322-043-4; 304 pages, $24.95) Teaches women how to align with the physical changes that occur at every stage of life in order to maximize health and well-being.

The Women’s Complete Healthbook -- The American Medical Women’s Association AMWA, Inc. (Delacorte Press, 1995; ISBN: 0-385-31382-9; 708 pages, $29.95) A medical resource for women, written by female physicians. Contains comprehensive medical information on the issues that women think about the most. Includes the latest research and state-of-the-art medical information for all the times of a woman’s life. Includes over 200 color illustrations, completely cross-referenced and indexed.


There is a great book out entitled Be a Survivor, Your Guide to Breast Cancer Treatment written by Vladimir Lange, M.D. You can purchase the book through our site’s bookstore. Additional good books that extensively cover breast health, breast cancer and reconstruction are entitled A Woman’s Decision, Breast Care Treatment and Reconstruction, 3rd Edition and the newest edition of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book which are also available in our "virtual bookstore". Another book I think will be helpful to you is entitled The Road to Immunity: How to Survive and Thrive in a Toxic World by Kenneth Bock, MD and Nellie Sabin. It covers in depth information about the immune system and how to keep our immune systems functioning at peak capacity.


The Complete Book of Breast Care by Niels H. Lauerson, MD, PhD and Eileen Stukane is also a very good resource with comprehensive and easy to understand information.

Another great resource about breast health is: Diseases of the Breast, Second Edition; Editors: Jay R. Harris, Marc E. Lippman, Monica Morrow, C. Kent Osborne; Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000; ISBN #: 0-7817-1839-2. Most medical libraries should carry it; I’m not sure about regular public libraries.

A resource that we use a lot is a book entitled Cancer Chemotherapy Pocket Guide by Robert J. Ignoffo, Carol S. Viele, Lloyd E. Damom and Alan Venook, published by Lippencott-Raven.

The books can be purchased on line in our virtual bookstore via Amazon.com and should be available in most public libraries.


Asmentioned in my previous message, I would love for you to check out the Cancer Help Program at Commonweal, Julie. Commonweal is based in Northern California and they have a sister program in Washington, DC. There is a yearlong waiting list for the California-based program so if you are interested, I suggest that you call Waz Thomas, the program coordinator to get on the list. His number is (415) 868-0970, ex. 846. I think that you can get in sooner at the D.C.-based program. The two programs are close to being identical. I have experienced the Cancer Help Program first-hand and it is an incredible experience that I highly recommend. I also highly, highly recommend that you get a copy of Michael Lerner’s book, "Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approached to Cancer".


Here's some info right from the site at: http://www.commonweal.org/cchp.html

THE COMMONWEAL CANCER HELP PROGRAM

Dear Friend:

Thank you for inquiring about the Commonweal Cancer Help Program. We very much hope that we can be of help to you, either by helping you get access to books and resources near home that may assist you, or by helping you decide whether to join a Cancer Help Program retreat or one of the increasing number of programs inspired, in part or in whole, by the Cancer Help Program that are developing around the United States.

The Commonweal Cancer Help Program (CCHP) is dedicated to helping people seeking physical, emotional, and spiritual healing in the face of cancer.
The workshops offer a rich variety of opportunities for both intellectual and experiential learning. The CCHP is not a cancer therapy or treatment program. It is a place to explore the issues, choices, feelings and concerns that people with cancer often have, in the company of others, with an experienced and concerned staff.

Almost all participants in the Commonweal Cancer Help Program report highly positive experiences. Some people come to learn about informed choices in conventional and complementary cancer therapies. Others look forward to yoga, progressive deep relaxation, meditation and imagery. Some seek the companionship of others facing cancer and the deep sharing of experiences that takes place in the morning sessions. Others appreciate the delicious vegetarian diet and caring massage. Using art, poetry, dreams and sandtrays as practical and vivid approaches to self-exploration is surprisingly beneficial. Many participants report that they got the most benefit from experiences in the program that were entirely unexpected.

For most of us on the staff, the Commonweal Cancer Help Program is without qualification the best work we have found in our professional lives. We dedicate ourselves to serving you during the week you are here. Our goal is to provide the highest quality small-group support program for people with cancer, and members of their families or support people, that we possibly can.

When my father developed cancer, I began my study of complementary (alternative and adjunctive) cancer therapies to see if any of them had something to offer him. I visited over 30 clinics in Europe and North America, talked with hundreds of physicians and health professionals knowledgeable about these therapies, and interviewed over a thousand patients. Later, I extended my investigation to explore options in established cancer therapies as well. In 1988-90, I served as special consultant to a landmark study prepared and published by the Office of Technology Assessment of the United States Congress. In 1994, I published Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer [MIT Press, $17.50]. It received a warm welcome in the mainstream press, the medical journals, and in holistic health journals as well.

During the Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreats, we critically review the whole range of choices in established and complementary therapies as objectively as possible. Participants may use our extensive cancer library, audio/video collection, and our research files on a wide variety of therapies and cancers.

Having said this about the opportunities to gather information on choice in cancer therapies, I should add that for many participants the experiential dimensions of the program turn out to be as important, if not more important, than learning about the process of informed choice.

Over the past ten years, the Commonweal Cancer Help Program has become widely known. The program has received national attention in The New York Times Magazine, American Health, Medical Self-Care, Advances, and other publications as one of the leading residential cancer support programs in the United States. The Commonweal Cancer Help Program was filmed by television journalist Bill Moyers and film maker David Grubin for an hour-long documentary called "Wounded Healers," as one part of the award-winning PBS series "Healing and the Mind." The Commonweal Cancer Help Program has also received strong support from oncologists, psychotherapists, and other health professionals.

One result of this widespread awareness of the Cancer Help Program is that we often have a considerable waiting list of people who would like to participate. Because we only take eight people on each retreat (the ideal number for small group work), and conduct only six week-long retreats each year, it became an ethical imperative for us to help other centers to start their own versions of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program. There are now a number of these programs across the United States. Staff from many of these programs have participated in professional training programs at Commonweal, and we have heard good things about the experience of participants who attend these programs. While we do not supervise or endorse these programs, we do strongly encourage you to inquire about them. They usually have no waiting lists, so you may get into one of their retreats rapidly. Please remember: Our goal is not to get you to come to Commonweal. It is to help you find what you need!

We have found that the Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreats work best for the people who (1) have a real interest in making a sustained personal effort to engage with their illness, (2) have the personal maturity to work well in a small workshop setting, and (3) believe they would benefit from a week of yoga, group support, relaxation, meditation, imagery, massage, and exploration of options in established and complementary cancer therapies. The morning sessions, led by the psychologically trained co-leader in each workshop, are a central part of the program, and provide opportunities for deep self-exploration and sharing. All participants must be under the care of an oncologist or other allopathic (conventional) physician, able to care for themselves in Commonweal's rural environment, and currently well enough to benefit from the program. We do not provide medical care during the retreat.

The daily schedule is as follows: morning yoga and meditation, breakfast, morning class, deep relaxation and imagery, lunch, individual activities, afternoon yoga and meditation, dinner and evening program. During individual activities, each participant has three one-hour massage sessions available and one or two one-hour sessions with sand trays. There is also time available for consultations with the staff. (Please see typical retreat schedule attached.) We ask participants in the program not to leave the site during the week unless medically required to do so, not to invite friends for visits, nor to make extensive use of the telephone. We do not have newspapers or television available.

The all-inclusive basic fee for the workshop is $1480 per person. We should add that we make no money on these retreats -- the fee is in fact supplemented by support from participants who have come before and other friends who help us keep the price as reasonable as possible. Each workshop is limited to nine participants. Spouses and other close support people are welcome to enroll, at the same fee and with the same full program as other participants. Partial scholarship assistance is available on a limited basis for those for whom the fee is a barrier to participation.

Upcoming retreat dates are as follows: (All program dates are waiting list only)

Dates 2001
February 19 - 25
April 2 - 8
June 4 - 10
September 17 - 23
October 15 - 21
December 3 - 9


The following is a list of Cancer Help Programs for people whose lives have been touched by cancer. These are independent organizations that have been inspired by our work and have developed their own programs. Commonweal has offered varying degrees of training or consultation with each of these organizations.

Two of the programs are directly involved with Commonweal -- Smith Farm and the Ting-Sha Institute. Commonweal has a direct partnership relationship with Smith Farm Cancer Help Program in Washington, D.C., which has been developed in partnership with the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, and a close collaborative relationship with the Ting-Sha Cancer Help Program near us in Inverness, California.

Because the waiting list for the Commonweal Cancer Help Program is often long, we urge you to recognize that wonderful experiences are possible at these independent Cancer Help Programs, and to investigate them carefully to see if one will meet your needs.

Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts
Smith Farm Cancer Help Program
1229 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
202-483-8600
Contact: Shanti Norris
http://www.smithfarm.com


Michael Lerner, founder and President of Commonweal, is co-founder and President of Smith Farm, and participates personally in most Smith Farm Cancer Help Programs with other Commonweal Cancer Help Program senior staff. This program is virtually identical to the Commonweal Cancer Help Program and was designed to make the Commonweal Cancer Help Program available on the East Coast. It frequently has openings for applicants immediately or with a much shorter delay than the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.




"Serenity is not freedom from the storm but peace within the storm." --Renee Locks



A closing thought....



Most Richly Blessed
(Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier)

I asked God for Strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn
humbly to obey…
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things…
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise…
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of
God…

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things…
I got nothing that I asked for – but everything that I
had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoiled prayers were
answered.
I am among all men (and women), most richly blessed.

-- Author unknown


Please always feel free to contact our office directly at (626) 332-2255 for any additional information, help and support that you might need. If the call is long distance, just let our staff know and ask them to call you right back so that the call is "on our dime". Please keep us up-to-date on how you are doing and how we can help.


My warmest personal regards,
Betsy


Elizabeth ("Betsy") Mullen
Founder, President/CEO
WIN Against Breast Cancer
Main Office:
536 S. Second Avenue, Suite K
Covina, California 91723
Telephone: 626-332-2255 Fax: 626-332-2585
San Diego Office:
Telephone: (619) 284-4900 Fax: (619) 284-7900
Web Site: www.winabc.org

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