Above: The Bud Sisters, Joyce Centofanti & Pearl Moon - maker of the cannabis oil Sharon used to put breast cancer into remission in 2012.
Take Five Leaves & Pray
Sharon's Cancer Story
The spider web-like mass found in my right breast the summer of 2012 had me thinking about my mom, the farm she was raised on, DDT, Rachel Carson, and Cannabis - in that order.
I saw the configuration while proactively peeking over the shoulder of both the mammogram and ultra-sound technician.
While waiting for the biopsy I decided to do some research and easily found an image of a nearly identical mass on the Mayo Clinic’s Web site, naming it, “Lobular Carcinoma.”
This type of cancer begins in the milk-producing glands of the breasts or lobules, affecting 10 to 15 percent of all women in the U.S. It's a mass, not a lump, as with Ductal Carcinoma, affecting up to 85 percent of women in this country, annually. And cannot be mistaken for a cyst.
lobular carcinoma is a breast cancer that affects 10-15 percent of women in the U.S. It's a spider-web-like mass, not a tumor that could be mistaken for a cyst.
Pass the Mayo
This information can be found in the Mayo Clinic's tedious, page-by-page listing of incredibly limited information, with the only cause listed as hormone replacement.
This stumps me as my sister – who is 18 months older – had this same type of cancer just two years prior, undergoing surgery, chemo and follow-up radiation - with no hormone replacement used prior.
Surgeries are invasive, chemotherapy does more harm than good, and radiation is now known to cause secondary cancers, such as lymphomas, with the FDA is actually considering taking it off the market for this reason.
In my mind, being proactive about one’s health is equal to being able to see past the smoke screens of modern day medicine. Being a Cannabis patient I’m skeptical of traditional treatments that seem to do more harm than good.
Once Upon a Time
My mom grew up on a farm in Illinois just outside the State Capitol of Springfield. Yes, Springfield. Kind of like The Simpson’s - the difference being, my mom told childhood stories of dancing with my aunt and uncle beneath the rain of DDT falling down from crop dusting airplanes on the waving fields of grain. None of them grew a third eye, all died of Cancers.
Before my Aunt passed she phoned me up, urging me to look into the pesticides used on the farm. At the time I was dealing with my own daughter’s auto-immune disorders, having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at 13. I was also just diagnosed with Thyroid Disease – another disorder under the auto-immune spectrum – but I never connected the dots to the family’s ailments.
I am second generation DDT, my daughter is third. This means something, as we have a lineage of chemicals in our genetic bloodlines, with many other toxins and heavy metals literally showered on us for decades.
Recent studies indicate that DDT alone stays in the genetic blood lines of lab rats up to five generations that they know of, with cancers in our stem cells, with chemo and radiation only scratching the surface.
American Biologist Rachel Carson spoke out on the dangers of DDT when the compound was first found to have insecticidal properties in 1939, then marketed to the masses. While the chemical successfully eliminated the mosquitos causing the Malaria – gracing it with the tag, “savior of mankind,” Carson ousted its dark side.
when ddt was re-configured from agent orange after wwii, biologist rachel carson warned us of its dangers in "silent spring," published in 1962, inspiring the clean air and water acts of 1973/1974.
Published in 1962 “Silent Spring” was Carson’s warning, hitting the newsstands long after the non-water-soluble poison saturated our soil, water, and ultimately our food supply, for decades.
In the book that should be considered mandatory reading today, Carson warns of cancers and worse, describing how DDT attacks the Central Nervous System of its prey – paralyzing and rendering them defenseless until their immune system fails and each organ stops functioning as they suffocate and die.
Those familiar with neurological, auto-immune, or central nervous system disorders leading to physical debilitation, such as Parkinson’s, ALS, or Alzheimer’s just got a chill. For that matter, most of our modern day ailments stem from some kind of toxic poisoning from the chemicals or heavy metals surrounding us, daily.
Cancers are a given, but heart disease and the myth of high cholesterol has recently been discussed publicaly by many cardiologists who insist that every heart they’ve ever opened up was inflamed and infected, leading them to the conclusion it’s not for lack of blood flow, it’s diseased, plain and simple.
Carson’s book caused the removal of DDT from U.S. markets, spawning the environmental movement, and forcing the U.S. to implement the Clean Air & Water Acts of 1973 and 1974, respectively. But the damage was done and today we are suffering the dire consequences with our ill-fated health.
The good news is, as listed in U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507 B1, “Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties … useful in the treatment of a wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases … (with) particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limited neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and IIIV dementia.”
The U.S. Government's patient on cannabinoids, one of the beneficial compounds in cannabis.
The information on the patent is crucial, as it provides us with the knowledge we need to move forward with our own self-care with Cannabis. My doctor was unaware of its advantages before I presented my findings to her. How could she? We learned together as I did away with cancer, pain, and up to 10 prescription meds.
“We can’t stop the toxins around us, but we can educate ourselves and others to this good medicine - one person, one plant at a time.”
In general the medical industry today tells the average American they are at fault for their own health woes, as if all the poisons polluting the world had nothing to do with any of it.
The rhetoric seems to be, if you have Lobular Carcinoma it’s because you took hormone replacement; you have Ductal Carcinoma because you drank more than three glasses of alcohol a day, you had children after 30 or you didn’t have them at all; Lung Cancer is due to your use of cigarettes, or you stood too close to someone who was smoking them; skin Cancer is for lack of sun screen; heart disease, you ate too many fatty foods.
The limited lists of illusive causes for serious illness and disorders, combined with the redirecting of blame for our modern-day ailments is enough to make anyone sick.
As a Cannabis patient I’m frustrated at the lack of information and research on Cannabis and Cancer in this country, let alone a vague window of information on why or how I became unwell.
The mammogram was done as a preventive measure, as I had been on the hormone replacement for just two weeks and immediately stopped taking them. That said, my sister had been diagnosed with the same cancer two years prior, going through surgery, chemo, and radiation – and she had never taken a single hormone replacement.
Once Upon a Time
What we do know is, my mother was raised on a farm in Illinois and she told us stories of dancing under the rain of DDT as crop dusters flew above. It was a game. The pesticide companies told them it was safe, they even told them it was good for them. Everyone in my mother's family died of cancers.
In 2014 the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” otherwise known as the “DSM,” listing all the ailments dealt with thus far in the field of psychiatry, came out with a new list replacing the word “illness” with “disorder.”
This new classification further demonstrates we are a species made out-of-order, but just why or how we became like this is never stated.
One theory is we are doomed by our own hand, or, more specifically, by toxins created by us – heavy metals leached from cookware; synthetic medications made from petroleum byproducts, cleaning solvents, and other industrial compounds; such as lead or aluminum used in our everyday lives that have poisonous properties. There are theories putting blame squarely on the very immunizations we use to keep us safe from harm.
I’m second generation DDT, but I also came up in the age of lead paint, and even if I were to blame these two substances solely for my autoimmune disorders, or my processing problems under the autistic spectrum, the world today contains more than seven million recognized chemicals, with more than 80,000 of them in common use, with more than 10,000 in use pending testing from the small, underfunded government agency in charge of its safety.
poor man's juicing: (see apothecary page for recipes) adding a handful of leaf to a smoothie daily is strong medicine, per Dr. William courtney. Smoking flower burns up most of the beneficial compounds in cannabis.
Eat Your Medicine!
So there I was, looking at the mass, when I remembered an earlier conversation with Dr. William Courtney the year prior on juicing. The formerly Mendocino, California physician had helped his wife do away with more than 20 prescription medications previously needed to treat Lupus.
I also remembered hearing of the strong oil, otherwise known as RSO or Rick Simpson Oil and began networking with medicine makers for a batch.
In the five weeks that passed prior to the biopsy I had eaten raw leaves in salads, and made a drink in the blender. I had already been ingesting a light oil for sleep from a company in the Bay area called “Internal Oil,” but I was not diligent in my ingesting as it was new to me, and I was not hopeful the minimal ingesting would do anything.
As I lay there with the technician gliding the magic wand over my breast, he said, “I can’t seem to find it.”
After looking at past and current views, the surgeon said, “We might not do this today.”
To which I informed, “I’ve been ingesting raw Cannabis - that may be the reason,” to which he asks if he can do that therapy too.
Humboldt physician, eloi hoopman, of the open door clinic in arcata, california, observed in support, as sharon did away with up to 10 prescription meds and supplements previously needed for thyroid disease, menopause, chronic pain, sleep, and many symptoms associated with hormonal deficiencies, when she did the cannabis oil treatment for breast cancer.
Typical Stoner vs. Enlightened Patient
Why is it that stoner jokes always seem to come into play whether medicine is being discussed or not? As if getting high is the end-all, as I lay there with my boob exposed and jelled, facing the big “C.”
But this is my moment to enlighten, and I advise, no, ingesting of raw Cannabis will not get you high, and teased that it may not be the treatment for him, to which he was comically disappointed.
He then informed that he was part of a Cannabis experiment in medical school during the 1960s that found medicinal value to the plant, such as in treating nausea.
As he tells it, they injected him with a Cannabis serum (heated, no doubt), and he said he became so excited (intoxicated is more like it), he grabbed the ass of the attending nurse.
This admission was met with howls of laughter from the attending staff, but I pressed on.
“That must have been a strong batch,” I say, to more chuckles. I then advise him of the practice of eating raw leaves versus heating Cannabis for psychoactive effects of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol).
Personal Trials: 60 Grams in 90 Days
Stumped at the lack of mass, the good doctor wanted to go ahead with the procedure, “… as long as we are all here,” he declared. I took this as my chance to do a little trial myself and asked if we could postpone the procedure another month while I continue with my own therapy. Thankfully, he agreed.
During the next five to six weeks I ingested the strong RSO, while still ingesting raw leaves. And the most amazing thing happened, all my symptoms from Thyroid Disease and additional hormonal issues from Menopause fell away. Complications with digestion, fatigue, and numerous other symptoms ceased to exist.
“The first night of taking the oil I didn’t need a sleeping pill, the next day I didn’t need my pain killer for a partially disabled knee. Within two and a half weeks of taking the oil I was able to do away with up to 10 prescription medications and numerous supplements.”
Prior to taking the strong oil I had only smoked to medicate, and used the light oil, “Internal” for sleep. Eating the raw leaf combined with the oil turned my body around completely.
The strong oil used to treat cancer and other serious ailments was re-invented by Canadian Rick Simpson more than ten years ago. The recipe is specific, using bud, stem and leaf for whole plant theory and the most medicine.
The RSO protocol is to ingest 60 grams in 90 days, with a step-up dosing regiment allowing the patient to get used to the strong THC. At upwards of 80 percent THC, dosing is critical with the patient starting small, initially taking a piece of oil the size of a half grain of rice. After some time a full grain of rice is taken, working up to one full gram a day until the full 60 gram treatment is finished. Some of the most invasive Stage 4 cancers have been found to be gone in less than 90 days.
Suppositories are said to be best as it gets the medicine right to the blood stream and organs for healing, not digestive processing, with patients reporting no head-high. This is huge, as THC is an issue for many.
Other oils have come on the market as medicine makers step up. But the rule of thumb is to make sure it’s tested, as the numbers need to test high on THC, and with the base made with solvent, it must be cooked down then tested for toxins. For when you make a concentrate out of the plant, you are also making a concentrate out of whatever was left in the growing of said plant - and not all farmers are organic.
A note on FECO: Full Extract Cannabis Oil is a different recipe than RSO. With RSO the fragile terpenes are rinsed off the plant quickly - no more than 3-4 minutes, then cooked down with grain alcohol or some type of solvent. In the FECO recipe, the plant is soaked much longer, sometimes days. What this does is weaken the oil with chlorophyll (giving it a green color), with more chance of toxins remaining. RSO tests upwards of 80 percent THC, while FECO tests around 47 percent or less, meaning the protocol to put serious ailments into remission may take longer. The proof is in the testing.
once the protocol of 60 grams is completed and cancer or other ailments are in remission, the maintenance dose for cannabis oil (RSO shown) is the size of a grain of rice. sharon has taken this dose, nightly, for more than five years since putting her cancer in to remission and doing away with up to 10 prescription meds.
I can’t emphasize how strong the oil is, but the THC is necessary. The first tests on destroying tumors came from Israel in 1974, and the THC component of the plant was isolated for this reason. It will knock you down, but that’s a good thing, as the body needs rest to heal. The modern day “take a pill” and continue life as usual just doesn’t work for this treatment – but it is a life saver.
Look at me, I’m Cancer Free!
Happily the second scheduled biopsy found nothing, with the mass completely gone from both the mammogram and ultra-sound. The attending technician called it a “technical error,” stating the initial technician probably got it wrong. But I was there looking over her shoulder and saw the same distinct spider-web mass in both the mammogram and ultra-sound.
An oncologist assistant was called in for lack of an attending oncologist to have a chat with me, stating sometimes there is “dense tissue” that can be confused with cancers. But his lecture on the subject was long, convoluted, and did not make sense to me at all.
I was polite and reiterated that I treated myself by ingesting Cannabis oil, but he didn’t know anything about the treatment, of course, and refused to engage in a conversation.
The follow-up letter received from the lab stated they felt the “dense tissue” remaining in my breast was “probably left over from a prior surgery.” This gave me a huge laugh, as, of course, I have never had surgery in that breast or the other one, for that matter.
I also felt this was an insult to my intelligence and the treatment used, but until the masses are educated on this plant we can’t expect this process to be easy. At the very least everyone involved heard my words.
Since sharon began ingesting the strong oil, keeping cancer at bay and doing away with up to 10 prescription meds and supplements, she has found many ways to use the plant as medicine. Shown here (clockwise) Cannabis oil, juiced leaf (frozen in cubes), topical salves, suppositories (no head high), and kief caps. Not shown are tinctures, infused alcohol for tonic cocktails, infused herbal water, and eating fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits, daily. (see apothecary page for recipes.)
My cancer experience happened in 2012 and to this day I ingest with various deliveries I make myself, as follows:
•Blending raw leaf daily for digestive issues, prevention of illness, and overall well-being (no psychoactive effects).
• Maintenance dose of RSO at night for sleep and prevention of illness and cancers.
• Cooking meals using infused oils, butter, honey, etc.
•Cocktails with infused alcohol, such as gin or rum – quelling inflammation leading to headaches and hangovers, prevention of illness.
•Cold and flu prevention: If I feel a cold or flu coming on I up my ingesting and the infection lasts just a couple of days.
• Use of infused topical salves, lotions, deodorant: Daily skin regiment for cancers, rashes, bug bites, burns, acne, and numerous disorders of the skin.
• Smoking as needed for depression associated with hormonal disorders (Thyroid Disease, Menopause)
● Added other fresh herbs to food, infused water – such as chamomile, which is calming for everything under the Autistic Spectrum, and nearly mimics CBD, one of the healing compounds in cannabis.
The stigma is still greater than the remedy and plant propaganda exists. But the times they are a changing, and with each new story of healing shared people learn the truth. You can’t stop the truth from spreading – thankfully, it’s a cancer in itself.
The stigma is still greater than the remedy and plant propaganda exists. But the times they are a changing, and with each new story of healing shared people learn the truth. You can’t stop the truth from spreading – thankfully, it’s a cancer in itself.