The Story of Essiac Tea below is for the benefit of anyone interested. On a fateful day in 1922 Canadian nurse Rene Caisse happened to notice some scar tissue on the breast of an elderly woman. The woman said that doctors had diagnosed her with breast cancer years before. However, the woman didn't want to risk surgery nor did she have the money for it. As luck would have it, she had met an old Indian medicine man who told her that he could cure her cancer with an herbal tea. The woman took the medicine man's advice, and consequently she was still alive nearly thirty years later to pass on this herbal remedy to Nurse Caisse. About a year later, Rene Caisse was walking beside a retired doctor who pointed to a common weed and stated: "Nurse Caisse, if people would use this weed there would be little cancer in the world." Rene later stated: "He told me the name of the plant. It was one of the herbs my patient named as an ingredient of the Indian medicine man's tea!" The "weed" was sheep sorrel. In 1924 she decided to test the tea on her aunt who had cancer of the stomach and was given about six months to live. Her aunt lived for another 21 years, cancer free. Rene Caisse (pronounced "Reen Case") later gave the tea to her 72-year old mother who was diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the liver, with only days to live. Her mother recovered and lived without cancer for another 18 years. In the ensuing years Nurse Caisse refined and perfected the original "medicine man's" formula. She tested various herbal combinations on laboratory mice and on human cancer patients. She eventually reduced the tea to four herbs: burdock root, sheep sorrel, slippery elm and turkey rhubarb. She called the formula Essiac, which is her surname spelled backwards. Rene Caisse devoted over fifty years of her life to treating thousands of cancer patients with Essiac. So effective were her free treatments that in 1938 her supporters gathered 55,000 signatures for a petition to present to the Ontario legislature to "authorise Rene Caisse to practice medicine in the Province of Ontario in the treatment of cancer and conditions therein". Unfortunately, due to the machinations of the Canadian Medical Association, the bill failed to pass by just three votes. WHAT DID DOCTORS SAY ABOUT RENE CAISSE'S TEA? Rene Caisse operated her cancer clinic under the supervision and observation of a number of doctors. Based on what those doctors saw with their own eyes, eight of them signed a petition to the Department of National Health and Welfare at Ottawa, asking that Nurse Caisse be given facilities to do independent research on her discovery. Their petition, dated at Toronto on October 27, 1926, read as follows: To Whom It May Concern: "We the undersigned believe that the 'Treatment for Cancer' given by Nurse R.M. Caisse can do no harm and that it relieves pain, will reduce the enlargement and will prolong life in hopeless cases. To the best of our knowledge, she has not been given a case to treat until everything in medical and surgical science has been tried without effect and even then she was able to show remarkable beneficial results on those cases at that late stage. "We would be interested to see her given an opportunity to prove her work in a large way. To the best of our knowledge she has treated all cases free of any charge and has been carrying on this work over the period of the past two years." Initially, Rene was not aware of the control that the medical/pharmaceutical establishment had over governments. After the petition was delivered to the National Health and Welfare Department, she was continually threatened with arrest until she finally withdrew from public view. Unlike Nurse Caisse, the medical establishment was more interested in making money than in helping people. Essiac was cheap. It could cut into the lucrative profits from radiation, chemotherapy and surgery--treatments that often did more harm than good. Essiac is non-toxic. Rene said, "Chemotherapy should be a criminal offense." The story of Rene Caisse's struggle to make Essiac an official cancer treatment was told by Dr. Gary Glum in his book CALLING OF AN ANGEL: ESSIAC, NATURE'S CURE FOR CANCER. In a telephone conversation Dr. Glum stated that people who take Essiac on a regular, preventive basis do not get cancer. Dr. Glum interviewed JFK's personal physician, Dr. Charles Brusch, who stated: "I know Essiac has curing potential. It can lessen the condition of the individual, control it, and it can cure it." Dr. Ralph Moss was appointed to the Cancer Advisory Panel that evaluates alternative cancer therapies for the government. On his web site and in his book CANCER THERAPY, Dr. Moss points out that each of the herbs in Essiac has been scientifically shown to contain anticancer substances. In his "Cancer Chronicles" [www.ralphmoss.com/essiac], Dr. Moss notes Essiac's rising popularity by comparing Essiac's low cost to a $150,000 bone marrow transplant. ESSIAC--MORE THAN JUST A CANCER TREATMENT Dr.Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin became interested in Essiac and even offered Nurse Caisse research facilities to test it. According to Rene, Dr. Banting stated that "Essiac must actuate the pancreatic gland into normal functioning". Even today diabetics are using Essiac to improve their condition and many have gone off insulin entirely.

I know this is a years old post, but I still want to add my two cents anyway. Just for any future readers, and you if you happen to read this again. First off, I'm so terribly sorry that you had to go through that, and I truly wish that I had been around, with the knowledge that I now have, back then. The VCUG procedure is terrible for both parent and child alike. I had to get VCUGs constantly as I grew up, and I want to say that the trauma a child experiences during them is nothing to glance over. By the time my fifth VCUG came around I literally collapsed on the ground, begging and crying for them to not make me go through it again. Now that I'm older, I'm learning more about what happened. The doctors say no to sedation because young children are at risk of never waking up. Others say that it's because the test won't work properly- it was pointed out to me that children have the potential to pee while their under, effectively ruining the test. But honestly, I say bullsh*t. I would have rather been put under and take the risks full-heartedly, rather than go through what I had to. I felt molested, I was in pain, and I felt betrayed by both the doctors and my parents alike. I still have a hard time trusting doctors and I don't feel like I can talk to my parents about important things anymore. In one of your later posts, you said that your daughter was likely to get over it long before you would. I'm sorry, but you're likely wrong. That event will always stay with her somehow- especially if she remembers it. I had the procedure multiple times, which made it worse for me, mentally, in the long run. I'm oversensitive about my lower body now, and more skittish than I should be. I refuse to use tampons because of what I went through, and intercourse is a never for me. As another person has already mentioned: I'd rather die than go through any similar situations that relate to VCUGs. I've actually developed PTSD because of the trauma- and I'm not the only one. Many people who went through the VCUG procedure as a child have claimed to be traumatized and to have developed depression or PTSD. So if your child does remember her VCUG (ask her)- even if it's just a little bit- I suggest you pay attention to her. Look for signs that the event still lingers as a more negative memory than it should be. Even if nothing is apparently wrong now, keep an eye open. It might take years before any type of mental symptoms show themselves. For me, the most noticeable symptom that can be seen from outside perspective would be my lack of motivation. My school work suffered and I seemed to have no will to do anything with my life. It was first believed that I was just lazy- which made me feel terrible... This can become a severe problem if you don't catch it soon enough. Another thing to look out for is over-discomfort in the doctor or dentists office. Those medical tables/chairs won't look as friendly as they once did. The doctors less so. For me, I'm overly sensitive about getting shots. My distrust about doctors sticking things into me has manifested to such a normal, simple thing that most people get used to. But even now, I feel sick to my stomach when the doctor says I need one. Finally, it's possible that she may outright refuse things like tampons and thoughts of having kids in the future. This is completely normal if she remembers the VCUG. She's likely to never let anything near her lower body ever again because of it. It brings back the negative memories. I refused tampons the moment I learned about them. I managed to avoid them for the longest time, even though everyone thought me silly. (This was before we knew why I hated it.) One day, though, we travelled to Mexico to swim with sea lions in the ocean. Just my luck that my monthly began the day before the trip... When we got there, the plan was to finally get me to use a tampon. My mother took me into the bathroom, and began to explain how it worked. Visualizing it in my head scared the H*ll out of me. I broke down crying when my mom told me that it would hurt a little. To me, a little meant a lot. Thankfully, my aunt had a better solution. (Pad, plus salt water, plus temperature change would slow/stop the flow and dissolve whatever managed to escape.) I still thank her for it whenever it comes up. Anyway, bottom line is, keep an eye out for any mental problems that might show up. Being three, she probably forgot, which will make this post somewhat useless. But it's still good to know, right? Just in case. I wish I could have been here earlier. To tell you that you NEED sedation- and not the extremely light stuff that just makes you drowsy. The procedure is painful- no amount of sugar-coating from the doctors would change that. After the VCUG, when you pee, it BURNS. I've come to say that, "It burned as if I was peeing out the fires of H*ll..." And it continues to feel like that for a few hours to a few days. And again, it can be mentally scarring. I'm glad that your daughter didn't have anything wrong with her, and I'm ever so relieved that she at least didn't have to go through more than one. I hope you're both healthy and happy right now, and living your lives to the fullest. (Sorry, this is long...)

Trisha, There isn't much i can say that hasn't already been said. I just finished Chemo on the 5th of this month for BC.I had a bilateral mastectomy,followed by chemo,i didn't need radiation. The day i knew i had BC i cried for over 4 hours,we did call the dr and ask for an anti anxiety med. I have a good support system of family and friends,and i have a very good attitude,always have had that,and that's what got me thru the rough spots. I'm sorry you had to join this sisterhood,but you can get thru this with faith,determination and a good attitude,"This too shall pass". Only God knows when our time is up,dr's just guess. Remember God is still on the throne,and prayer changes things!! I'll also add you to my prayer list.This is all doable,rough sometimes,but doable. ((((((((Trisha))))))))) Kathi

The parathyroid glands (there are usually four) are not part of or related to the thyroid gland. They are both endocrine glands, and the parathyroids are located on the back side of the thyroid gland, but that's the extent of any "relationship." Raven, I've already read the parathyroid.com pages, and while they contain an awful lot of good information, I am bothered by their claims that they only way you can be certain that you're going to have a good outcome from surgery is to go to their clinic in Tampa. (In other words, I know that you don't have to travel to Rome to get a good Italian meal, and you don't have to go to Tampa to have a successful parathyroidectomy.) It's also interesting that when reading allegedly unsolicited testimonials from patients, so many of them use the phrase "well-oiled machine." ("The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-oiled machine, led by Dr. James Norman." "The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-oiled machine who specialize in parathyroidectomy only..." "It is a 'well-oiled machine' very organized and professional." "The whole experience was a well oiled machine." Those are actual, word-for-word quotes.) There is no doubt in my mind that I have primary hyperparathyroidism. My serum calcium levels are above normal, my parathyroid hormone level is above normal (and is higher on each subsequent test after the first), my Vitamin D level is low (but rising since I have been taking Vitamin D3 supplements), and I have at least 13 of the 21 symptoms listed on the parathyroid.com web site. I'll be seeing my primary care physician next week, but my insurance doesn't require a referral to go to a specialist. That brings up another thing about the Norman Parathyroid Center (NPC) in Tampa -- their "consultation fee." They will bill your insurance company/companies, but they charge a "telephone consultation fee" that is not billable to your insurance. If you live in Florida, the fee is $750. If you live anywhere outside of Florida, the fee is $1,750. There is no logical reason to charge an additional $1,000 for the exact same telephone consultation just because a potential patient lives outside of the Florida state line. Also, other just-as-qualified surgeons don't charge a consultation fee -- they accept what the insurance pays, and the consultation is part of good medical care. I have original Medicare (parts A & B) and a Blue Cross PPO Medicare Supplement policy. Blue Cross pays any and all Medicare deductibles as well as the balance of the fee that Medicare doesn't pay. In other words, my medical expenses are zero. Medicare covers anywhere/everywhere in the USA, and our Blue Cross policy covers anywhere/everywhere in the world. (And if I am out of the USA, the Blue Cross policy functions as a "basic" plan -- covering the whole kit and caboodle as if I am not even old enough for Medicare.) The NPC says that the fee covers "chart prep, data entry, chart review, and phone consultation fee." They say that if a patient doesn't have insurance, or is from another country, the patient must pay cash. The fee is $11,920 and covers "the consultation fee, chart prep, surgeon fee, anesthesia, anesthesiologist, x-ray, hospital, laboratory, operating room, operating room team, and recovery room. Everything except travel and hotel. This is cheap! Remember, this is not $11,920 for the surgeons... this is for everything, and this is about half of what this operation will cost you at any other hospital in the US. There are no other hidden fees! There are no other surprises. If you have had a previous parathyroid operation and were not cured and you have zero insurance, the cost is $13,020." "About half of what this operation will cost you at any other hospital in the US." Really? The cash price for the exact same minimally invasive surgery at UCLA is $11,573 and you don't have to pay the "telephone consultation fee." Anyway.... I originally posted because I'd like to hear from folks who have had the surgery, to find out how long it took them to start feeling better after the surgery, when their calcium, PTH, and Vitamin D levels got back to normal.