Wednesday, August 24, 2011

No Free Lunches-dang!

Meanwhile, life is unbelievably majestic. In the garden, Morning Glory blossoms are prolific and profound each day and I am close to securing a spot to grow a lunch-service in my neighborhood for the burgeoning hospital staff and patient population. Healthy lunches served up with a life-altering and i hope, inspiring back story ! Several rounds of location scouting manifested the wisdom of staying closer to my original idea of staying closer to home- I want to walk to work- and I want to serve the hospital- A new possible local location on 17th street, (restaurant row) is ideal in that I CANNOT put in a full kitchen, but CAN work as deli-type cafe, and so I'm setting Morning Glory- as a breakfast joint up on a dust free shelf and opening a more condensed food-concept a take-out and lunch delivery aka (Lunch & Lounge at THE HAUS)—coupling the hours of operation with a kind of wine and beer lounge in the early evening hours where eventually activities like film showings and book groups might emerge amid dense flourless chocolate torte, chess games, poetry readings, frothy capps, and local wine and beer offerings. I'm excited and happy with how the whole process has been and continues to evolve, morph and manifest…hope I can invite you all for soup/salad and sandwiches soon!

•••••••

a great tree envelopes the buddha 
As the infusion round of chemotherapy wanes and settles like evening embers in the western sky of my 'treatment'— a dawning blue calcification (estrogen-depletion) forms like splintered morning pock marks in every joint and bone of my otherwise happy rejuvenation … Here's the nitty-gritty health report that Chrissy enjoys most! I include for any/all who will have experiences regarding aromatase inhibitor therapy—be advised…while modern medicine marvels with its miraculous solutions- the saying holds true: There are no 'free' lunchesExcept at Lunch Haus where we'll have a drawing once a week for, yes, a free lunch! :))

Estrogen has many bio-functions in the body besides regulating sexual characteristics of females in humans and insects! or increasing tumor growth in breast cancers : for all the functions listed below reverse the function and you have the side effects for estrogen-inhibiting chemotherapy (listed in dark brown type) — the current protocol protecting me from having a breast cancer recurrence in my second breast or even a breast cancer recurrence no longer in the breast, but floating around some where ready to invade a bone structure or intestinal wall or ovary, has made way for a long list of new and fascinating biological experiences.

The list gives a shocking edification regarding how important just ONE (estrogen) hormone truly is.
Structural changes induced by estrogen in addition to other functions.
  • Structural
    • accelerate metabolism -decelerates metabolism
    • reduce muscle mass -increases muscle mass 
    • increase fat stores -decelerates fat stores
    • stimulate endometrial growth -decelerates edometrial growth
    • increase uterine growth -decelerates uterine growth
    • increase vaginal lubrication -decelerates lubrication
    • thicken the vaginal wall -decelerates thickness of vaginal wall
    • maintenance of vessel and skin -decreases the maintenance of vessel and skin
    • reduce bone resorption, increase bone formation -increases bone resorption decelerates bone formation
    • morphic change (endomorphic -> mesomorphic -> ectomorphic)
  • protein synthesis
  • coagulation
  • Lipid
    • increase HDLtriglyceride- (decreased good cholesterol) etc…
    • decrease LDLfat deposition  (increased bad cholesterol) etc…
  • Fluid balance
    • salt (sodium) and water retention  water retention imbalances…
    • increase cortisolSHBG  decreased factors contribute to central fat distribution and obesity
  • Gastrointestinal tract
    • reduce bowel motility  decreased etc…
    • increase cholesterol in bile  decreased etc…
  • Melanin
    • increase pheomelanin, reduce eumelanin  decreased pheomelanin, increases eumelanin( a small amount of eumelanin causes grey hair; more would do what? My hair has returned SILVER WHITE!
  • Cancer
  • Lung function
    • promotes lung function by supporting alveoli (in rodents but probably in humans).[15]  - -decreased lung function by lack of support for alveoli
  • Furthermore:
  • Mental health

    Estrogen is considered to play a significant role in women’s mental health. Sudden estrogen withdrawalfluctuating estrogen, and periods of sustained estrogen low levels correlates with significant mood lowering. Clinical recovery frompostpartumperimenopause, and postmenopause depression has been shown to be effective after levels of estrogen were stabilized and/or restored.

    all of which is to say: I can sometimes barely walk down the stairs and wake at night from joint pain in my hands and fingers, hips, ankles, arms, knees, jaw, toes, and pelvis, in short, I feel like a (POCK) of agedness.
    More to come soon. Be well, safe, above all let happiness be your true gauge of success! Blessings!