i recommend reading women's bodies, women's wisdom by dr. christian northrup...she has much insight to offer as to 'cause' of specific female illness.

Cutting out caffeine dramatically helped me. No coffee, no chocolate (except white chocolate, which isn't really chocolate), and only herbal or red tea. It made all of the difference.

But telling you this might not help. Everyone has to heal in their own way. But you will heal, in time.

Keri
have a look at Louise Hay and heal your life....her work is AMAZING and so true. hugs krissie - a regular reader of you r blog.

I have suffered from unrest and panic. I have only used all natural ways to work through it and I find telling myself that I am not afraid (often said out loud) brings my unconscious mind back to the present. Your list is amazing and I have learned from it.

Just a quick FYI - green tea is very high in caffeine.

Have you tried castor oil packs, as recommended in Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom? I've used them for a number of situations and, although a bit messy, had positive results. I'm a Reiki practitioner, so I hope you'll pardon my bias when I whole-heartedly recommend it ... although I receive regular reflexology treatments, as well, and swear by that too. I'm reading (i.e. absorbing) "The Power of Now." It is making me rethink or, more accurately, unthink everything. Be gentle with yourself, Keri.

I was recently introduced to Dr. Schulze's herbs. His herbs are very potent, pure, and clean. You can read more about it at www.herbdoc.com. I wish you lots of luck and healing.

I have found www.emofree.com to be life-changing. The technique is based on your energy meridians. I've been using it mostly for emotional issues and it has made me aware and able to overcome the most debilitating mother/daughter boundary issues.

Good luck with everything. Also check out http://bloodsisters.org/bloodsisters/zines.html I bought Hot Pantz and it is chuck full of excellent herbal/natural remedies for female situations.

Keri, a couple of months ago, I discovered two lumps in my left breast ... not small ones, either, since I found them when I wasn't even doing a self-exam. I was shocked because I had just had a mammogram two months before that was fine. That led my doctor to believe they were cysts (fluid). An ultrasound confirmed that. I started doing more reading, in search of a solution to eliminate, reduce, or at the very least, keep from getting more. I came across an interesting article entitled 'Botanical Therapies for Fibrocystic Breast Disease' (here's a tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/76btf ... the regular url is long!). Although it's intended for medical professionals, I found some interesting information there that I hadn't seen before, and information about herbal remedies (that one should probably consult with an herbalist before self-medicating, but useful information).

I cut out caffeine (I didn't have much before, but now it's even less) and I take evening primrose oil and vitamin E, and I can no longer feel the smaller lump, and the lump that was bigger has been shrinking.

As for letting go, I tell myself, 'I'm not the general manager of the universe' when I find myself trying to be all things to all people, or trying to control things I can't control. I realize when I do that, I neglect myself, and breasts also have to do with self-nurturing issues, in addition to mothering issues. I figure if all I do is take loving care of myself so that I'm not 'polluting' other people or situations by projecting my stuff onto others, then I've done enough, actually. After many years of trying 'save the world,' I'm realizing that if all we to is tend to our own wellbeing and happiness (not in the negative ego sense, of course, but in the self-loving, lovingkindness sense), then we've made a great contribution the world.

Many blessings and light for your healing journey.

keri, i think there's some evidence that green tea helps to shrink cysts, as it helps the body metabolize fats. my sister has a cyst on her wrist and whenever it becomes more noticeable she ups the green tea and it shrinks again. she favours the president's choice moroccan mint green tea, as she's not much of a tea person, but i know that you are, and given all the toxins we're exposed to, something organic might make more sense.

This sounds like a wonderful holistic approach! I love this list and I am especially intrigued by #5 and how it relates to #6. My sister-in-law is a massage therapist and she convinced me to try reike. While she was working in the area of my chest, I suddenly began to cry. I was very embarrassed by this as I *never* cry, especially in front of other people. She told me grief is held in the chest and it was something I needed to release. My dad had died the year before and try as I might, I was unable to grieve his loss. I also had lost my job and two people who were very close to me. It is amazing how we close ourselves up. I am sending positive thoughts your way as you begin a journey of healing in every sense of the word.

Been there. I am fibrocystic as well. After years of clear mammograms every 6 months starting at age 30, one was suspicious at age 50. I opted for the biopsy...an awkward, but not uncomfortable procedure due to the difficult location of 'the spot.' It was negative...this time. I might have to go through this again. Who knows? I can tell you that for peace of mind, I chose the biopsy because the fear of not knowing was far worse than any result. My doctors are in Los Gatos...they were honest, upfront, full of options, full of optimism. Prayers, luck, karma, humor...it all works...but knowledge is the real power here.
(ps...reiki)

Sometimes we have to take control of our own healing. I do hope you beat this quickly.

And just like you need another book to read... have you read Love, Medicine, and Miracles? It was the book that got me through the ordeal of cancer.

As long as you know what you are doing.
http://tinyurl.com/834qr

I'll be thinking of you. Healing energy is on its way across the Atlantic. I hope your surgeon's appointment goes well.
Take care!

Sending you best wishes for healing all parts of yourself that feel in need of realignment. ("Heal Your Body" and "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay are also good.)

Another excellent book is "Radical Healing" by Rudolph Ballantine, he speaks about all these things you are interested in, in a holistic way. I particularly enjoy his personal stories interweaved in the book.

Arg, to let go, a personal struggle for me as well.

awwww, letting go. What a challenge that one is but yet the most freeing and rewarding when achieved! I'm still struggling with that one myself. Slowly improving, ever so slowly. One minute step at a time.

Try to get hold of 'Liberation' by The Barefoot Doctor, it has loads of hands on Qi strengthning exrecises and acupressure instructions to liberate yourself from most of the common anxieties and hang ups know to humans. I've sent my copy around on tour with my friends and relatives and everyone is excited :-).

Ah yes, letting go...

I never could manage that myself. What works for me is the mindfulness practice of just letting an emotion sit there and observing it....saying, "Hmmm. OK, I'm feeling fear. OK. What else? OK, I'm feeling some anger." without the need to do *anything at all* about it.

Emotions have their own rapidly transitory nature, and while it is obviously helpful to seek the roots of habitual responses that aren't helping you in your life, often it's OK not to analyze every gust of emotion, especially when under stress (for me, it just seems to add to the stress when I think I have to figure the feeling out in order to feel better). Just allowing the feelings to be, to have their own separate reality, enables me to disengage enough not to be driven by them. And in that disengagement, I find the space to breathe that others must mean when they say "let go".

I'm praying for you.

When you figure out the letting go part could you let me know, this is the hardest thing for me, even witht he samll things. I love this list though, it's something I can think about more even if I don't have the same problems.

i just know you will be o.k.