Janet was standing in the grocery checkout line when her doctor called to tell her she had breast cancer.
“I will never forget the day I was diagnosed. I was in line at Whole Foods when I got the call. I had to ask the physician to call me back. I knew what she was about to tell me by the tone of her voice.”
Janet is a trim 50-year-old who exercises regularly, doesn’t smoke and is known for her healthy eating habits. Her diagnosis came as a shock and she remembers the days that followed as a highly emotional time. “I cried a lot,” she recalls. “How would my husband and children survive without me?”
Following a close friend’s suggestion, Janet saw Dr. Taz for support throughout the process.
“I feel that having the support of an integrative medicine doctor like Dr. Taz helped me get through my battle with breast cancer. I had a wonderful oncologist, surgical oncologist, plastic surgeon and radiation oncologist. They were the part of my team to get rid of my cancer. Dr. Taz is on my team to help me make sure the cancer does not come back and to help me keep my immune system functioning to the fullest.”
Janet’s treatment plan was fairly standard but nonetheless, a huge undertaking – 6 rounds of chemotherapy, a unilateral mastectomy and, after the lymph node results were in, 5 weeks of daily radiation. To help ease the side effects and speed recovery, Janet received regular vitamin drips at the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine to keep her immune system strong and she focused on gut health with a diet and supplement regimen prescribed by Dr. Taz.
“I believe the supplement that helped the most was the glutamine which is a powerful gastrointestinal-lining support. I avoided mouth sores because I was using this supplement. I believe this dietary supplement helped my body tolerate my treatment.
When asked how her medical ordeal has changed her, Janet seems confident and at peace.
“My outlook on life has changed dramatically. One of my mantras is, ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. In the past I let stress consume me. I have a different attitude today. I have started doing yoga again. I surround myself with positive people. I try to keep negativity as far away as I can.
I thank God daily for all the blessings I have received since I was diagnosed with cancer.”
