The problem with this thinking... which to me used to be fine, till I noticed, that all is fine and dandy till something goes wrong....then people scream... For example, you may want to take any drug you want, then your cousin dies of an ephedra problem.... then all of a sudden your thinking is changed. Personally, I generally agree. I think that the stupids who mess with something they don't understand.... just weeds out their genes from the gene pool. But apparently, others don't see it this way. I see this in almost all aspects of American life... ANOTHER example... You all want a freemarket system... till you pay $3 a gallon for gas... then you scream. People seem to want what they want with no concern for the consequences... I just do it... and unlike Cacye, I LISTEN when someone says there is a danger... some don't... that's why they try to beat trains in train crossings.... ANOTHER way to weed certain genes from the gene pool.

Diane, I actually recommend making 2 albums, one for you, and one for her. let her pick out the pictures she wants in her album and make copies of those pictures for her. Let her work beside you when you do yours. Let her write out as much as she can in her own handwriting (write it out for her in her own words to help with spelling if needed, and let her copy it on journaling mats- email me your addy and I will send you some of different colors) Buy her a 7x7 sentiments albums. Perfect size for her. Ask her why she picked the photos she did, and have her tell you what she remembers of that day/event. She will treasure it forever. Plus, it is a wonderful bonding experience, and it will help her and you talk about it, which can be so hard to do. It is ok to be sad and to cry, that is part of healing. It took a long time before I could look at my album without crying at all. I did this with my little sisters after I made mine. They were 11 when our brother died. To this day (they are 14 now), they still pull out their albums whenever they miss him. It has such a healing effect. Alot of tears were shed when we made them, but now looking back, that time together was priceless. I was able to help them "capture" those memories and most importantly the stories that went with them. I hope this helps. Feel free to email me anytime :) for help with your album. I know I will forever be thankful to the person that suggested it and helped me with mine, and I will continue to help others do the same. Kathy

Gail, I know you mean well, but only people who have a family history of ovarian cancer OR have other symptoms of ovarian cacner need this test. Unfortunately, surgery is the only option and "they" _will_ do surgery -- often unnecessarily, and with risks -- if they see an elevated CA-125. It's the ONLY way to diagnose ovarian cancer. But based on the CA-125 alone, it is often an unnecessary surgery. (Ultrasound, CT scan and even PET scans are just as ineffective. Only a combination of these tests AND reported symptoms are the way to find the suspicion of ovarian cancer. Not one of them is a stand-alone test.) As for symtpoms, please read the May 2004 issue of the Journal of teh American Medical ASsociation. There is a great article there explaining the research on this. 95% of women DO REPORT SYMPTOMS AT STAGE I ovarian cancer. Also, the CA-125 is not even the same value from woman to woman. The guidelines just changed on this test in February, and now a 35 is not the magic number. Based on age and a host of other factors, a reading of 70 could be considered "normal." It's a very very confusing test. It's not a screening test for ovarian cancer, no matter how you look at it. Every national organization and every physician and subspecialist in this field (and most actual ovarian cancer patients) will agree: The best tool we have is to raise awareness about this disease is to encourage women to look for symptoms and get them to their doctors at stage I. There's even legislation about this. And because the disease is so agressive and fast-growing, even if there is a 100% foolproof screening test, awareness of symptoms will still be equally as important. The CA-125 can jump from 70 - 7000 in a week's time. Symptoms occur even earlier. A yearly blood test won't be often enough. it's not like cervix cancer, which is slow-growing and can wait a year to be diagnosed with a Pap test. This is a seriously aggressive cancer which needs constant vigilance. This is what I do every single day. I spend 75% of my time with ovarian cancer patients and many, many of them get so frustrated when this test is misunderstood. 3 of our current patients had NO elevated CA-125 and this made them think their symptoms were "just menopasue" or something else...until the symptoms became so regular that it was late-stage, full-blown, unmistakeable ovarian cancer. Had they not relied on that test, they may have been treated earlier. Another 2 of our patients had elevated CA-125 and had a surgery they did not need. One now has a serious staph infection and the other is now missing her ovaries...but neither has ovarian cancer. Gail, I completely agree with you that we must call attention to this disease. But the best way we can do it is by spreading awareness about symptoms so that we can get women into their doctors earlier. THEN a CA-125 MIGHT be appropriate (and a pelvic exam and an ultrasound or a CT scan or a risk assessment). If anyone wants to see more, please visit www.wcn.org. And Gail, I am really sorry to hear about your sister. It's hard to watch someone fight this disease.

Thank you, Henry for that link. Very good info. from Dr. Kuska's link: "Dr. Kremer further shared his thoughts on the big claim of the biotech industry that we need GMOs to feed the world. He also discussed their claim of decreased use of pesticides. There has been a 527 million pound increase in pesticide use since the introduction of transgenic crops." More info. from Dr. Kremer, a soil microbiology professor: " They noticed that every time that they checked this GMO crop that the roots were loaded up with the fungus, Fusarium. Fusarium is a fungus that can be potentially pathogenic. He said his concern was that here we have this new release of crops that are tolerant to Glyphosate yet their root system are piled up with this fungi. He has evaluated several GMO crops over the past 17 years and continues to see increased fungi on their roots." I wish people would quit messing up nature, or what God has created. I find out that I'm allergic to the oil-wax used to coat citrus fruits (esp. lemons). When I use ORGANIC lemons without the oily wax, I have no problems. I find out that they also use cottonseed oil and fungicides to wax lemons. I have a history of being allergic to preservatives such as fungicides Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate in foods. To be safe, I no longer dunk lemons into water like I used to. Here's an excerpt from below link: " There are 21 fruits and vegetables that may be waxed: apples, avocados, bell peppers, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplants, grapefruits, lemons, limes, melons, oranges, parsnips, passion fruits, peaches, rutabagas, tomatoes and turnips. The waxes sometimes contain fungicides. Both the waxes and the fungicides are used to prevent spoilage, the former to retard moisture loss and prevent shriveling, the latter to prevent mold. Any fungicide allowed on the produce as it is grown may also be applied after harvesting, whether under the wax, in combination with it or alone. Seven fungicides are approved for use on food crops after harvesting. Of those only one, benomyl, has undergone a complete review by the EPA. Others are: thiabendazole, ortho-phenylphenol, sodium ortho-phenyl phenate, imazalil, dicloran and sodium borate. The EPA has classified benomyl a possible human carcinogen. In test animals, the chemical has caused birth defects, low sperm counts and mutations. Benomyl is registered for post-harvest use on apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, citrus fruits, mushrooms, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples and plums, either with wax or alone." http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/32358/does-wax-on-citrus-fruit-make-the-zest-unsafe-to-eat-or-compromise-its-flavor Another excerpt from above link to solve the problem with wax on citrus fruits, which impart a bitter taste to the citrus zest. "I've always just used warm (not hot) water, dish soap, and a soft brush to de-wax before zesting, and I've always been happy with the results. However, this question made me curious; in addition to beeswax, apparently carnauba (familiar from the carwash) and shellac are allowed."