HOLISTIC HEALTH takes into account the whole person — BODY, MIND & SPIRIT.
Take time to empower yourself by exploring links, watching videos, reading articles and books, and remember…
Keep it simple!
1. SEEK NATUROPATHIC, INTEGRATIVE, or FUNCTIONAL CARE
“As a catalyst in the transformation of healthcare, functional medicine takes a comprehensive approach to prevention, health, and well-being; treats root causes of disease; and restores healthy function through a personalized patient experience — all while being a vital partner to conventional medicine.” – The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
Find a Functional Medicine Practioner, look at YELP reviews, ask for referrals.
More Resources:
Review lab work and create a specific, individualized detoxification, nutrition, exercise, supplement, hormone balancing plan.
Financial Assistance for Holistic Health:
2. EAT REAL WHOLE PLANT-BASED FOOD
- Eat colorful, nutrient-dense veggies and fruit every day! (See Recipes for Wellness)
- Eliminate: sugar, meat, dairy, all processed foods, artificial ingredients & sweeteners.
- See Detox. Detox. Detox.
- Drink fresh green juice, Liquid Love or Green-berry smoothie.
- Consume good fats and minimize oil. Raw nuts, seeds, avocado
- Learn about the “dirty dozen” & “clean 15”
- Read: Eat This — Not That
3. DRINK FILTERED WATER
- Add chloroxygen & lemon to filtered water (builds red blood cells, increases oxygenation, boosts energy levels and alkalizes water).
- Check out Berkey Filters here
4. GET EDUCATED & INSPIRED
- Review FAQ for unbiased 2nd pathology opinions, natural alternatives to hormone blocking therapy, and safe ways to monitor breast health.
- Download Breast Wellness Checklist
- Watch Food Matters; Forks Over Knives; WHAT THE HEALTH and many more HERE
- See these Books and more below
- Read articles from “Proactive Breast Health Club”
5. PUT YOURSELF 1ST & COMMIT TO HEALTHY PRACTICES
- Connect with nature daily.
- Move every day at least 30 minutes.
- Discover Hatha Yoga. Read “Peace, Love & The Science of Happiness
- Incorporate breathing and meditation into daily routine.
- See Meditation 101.
- Find a guided imagery video that is calming. Example: Guided Imagery for Stress Reduction with Belleruth Naparstek
- Try Wim Hof Breathing Method for Beginners
6. REDUCE / MANAGE STRESS & EMOTIONS
- Eliminate negative people and naysayers.
- Read “Reducing Stress May be Your Best Rx“
- Do what you can each day to incorporate all of the above.
7. BUILD YOUR TRIBE / FIND SUPPORT
- DCIS Integrative Support & Empowerment
- Donna’s Choice: Global Healing From The Inside Out
- DCIS is NOT Cancer!
8. Create your own “WHEEL OF SUPPORT/HEALING”


Documentary Films and Videos about Mammography Screening Controversies:
- The Dark Side of Mammography
- THE PROMISE Film: Exposing the truth about the Routine Breast Screening Program
- 3D Investigates: Breast screening – the truth (New Zealand)
- bOObs: The War On Women’s Breasts
- HappyGram
- Breast screening: some inconvenient truths by Professor Michael Baum (University College London School of Life and Medical Sciences) 2010 UCL Lunch Hour Lecture
- Mammography – Does it save lives? | The USPSTF is incorrect | I review ALL the data by Vinay Prasad, MD MPH
- Michael Greger, MD FACLM, is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on a number of important public health issues created a video series on mammograms:
- Nine out of Ten Women Misinformed About Mammograms
- Mammogram Recommendations: Why the Conflicting Guidelines?
- Should Women Get Mammograms Starting at Age 40?
- Do Mammograms Save Lives?
- Consequences of False-Positive Mammogram Results
- Do Mammograms Hurt?
- Can Mammogram Radiation Cause Breast Cancer?
- Understanding the Mammogram Paradox
- Overtreatment of Stage 0 Breast Cancer DCIS
- Women Deserve to Know the Truth About Mammograms
- Breast Cancer and the Five-Year Survival Rate Myth
- Why Mammograms Don’t Appear to Save Lives
- Why Patients Aren’t Informed About Mammograms
- The Pros and Cons of Mammograms
Book Recommendations:
- Opting Out is an Informed Choice: Experts Explain the Harms of Mammograms by Donna Pino
- Mammography screening: The great hoax by Peter C. Gøtzsche of the Institute for Scientific Freedom
- The Smart Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer, by Dr. Jenn Simmons
- Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy, by Peter Gotzsche
- Conspiracy of Hope: The Truth about Breast Cancer Screening, by Renée Pellerin
- Stop Breast Cancer Before it Starts, by Samuel S. Epstein MD
- Busting Breast Cancer; Five Simple Steps to Keep Breast Cancer out of Your Body, by Susan Wadia-Ells
- Mammography Wars: Analyzing Attention in Cultural and Medical Disputes, by Asia Friedman
- Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health, Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, MD
- Patient Heal Thyself, Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D., PH. D.
- Anticancer: A New Way of Life, David Servan-Screiber, MD, PhD
- You Did What? Saying ‘No’ to Conventional Cancer Treatment, Hollie & Patrick Quinn
- Herbal Medicine, Healing & Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment, Donald Yance, Jr., C.N, M.H, A.H.G
- Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, Chris Wark
- Mind Over Medicine, Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Your Life, Lissa Rankin, MD
- Radical Remission, Kelly Turner, PhD
- Cancer: Step Outside the Box, Ty Bollinger
More Resources for Natural /Holistic Lifestyle Strategies
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- Chris Beat Cancer (chemo-free colon cancer survivor and natural healing guru)
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- Elyn Jacobs (breast cancer survivor, patient advocate/researcher, wellness coach)
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- Crazy Sexy Wellness (Kris Carr)
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- Proactive Breast Health Club (DCIS Redefined)

Donna, Happy New Year!!! Thank you for the site – hope it will grow and develop into a strong community of like-minded people who are willing to “step outside the box” and take the matters into their own hands.
I have some questions about supplements: what form/dosage of iodine do you take? also, what about multi-vitamins – I’m *almost* vegan and am taking Women’s One by Rainbow Light (although I do try to maintain a well-balanced diet) – in addition to a # of other things including some of the supplements that you listed here. Re: the multi, I am worried about too many ingredients in one pill. I picked that particular brand based on ConsumerLabs /other reviews but am still concerned. Would appreciate your opinion.
Hi Lena! So great to hear from you!! The iodine I am taking is: Eidon liquid concentrate: (2 drops/225 mcgs). Not sure about the multi-vitamin in conjunction with all the others you may be taking??? I would suggest consulting with a Naturopathic MD to go over all your supplements as well as hormone balancing. You could even have a phone consultation with Dr. Kristine Reese (see Resources). I had NO CLUE about hormones and thought I was too young, but I just started using a progesterone cream after discovering that my progesterone level was low through a saliva test. I am presently reading two books on hormone balancing (see Resources) and the possible connection to DCIS/breast cancer development (along with other ails) seems quite strong. So much of it makes sense and it is great that there is a relatively easy, natural and inexpensive way to balance hormones and reduce breast cancer risk. Take care and keep your questions & comments coming!! 🙂 Donna
Donna,
Awhile back someone asked me to send them my supplement list and I gave them my email address. Somehow I’ve lost their email. I’ve been all through the posts and can’t find who it was. So, I’m posting here so I can ask whoever it was to contact me again and apologize for just now getting around to it and for losing your email.
Donna..thank you for sharing your story. I have 2 auto-immune diseases and my mother died of breast cancer at 57 and my dad died of lymphoma. I have been told that I am a “high-risk” for cancer due to family history and my autoimmune diseases. I follow a Paleo diet with the exception of RAW cow’s milk. I am on one medication for my Hashimoto’s disease and have been very strict with my diet to control celiac. I want to eat right but the RAW dairy milk that I drink has been my only savior for controlling my chronic diarrhea. I drive over 1 hour and 1 state over to get this milk which keeps me off all other medication. Could you share with me why dairy is so bad? Are you differentiating between pasteurized and raw? Pasteurized dairy makes me very sick due to dead enzymes but the full-fat RAW milk seems to help me keep my weight on and has definitely helped with my chronic diarrhea. I appreciate your thoughts. Also…because I have a ton of medical bills and a daughter just diagnosed with a pituatary tumor…is it possible to prioritize the supplements in some order as they are quite expensive. Thanks.
Hi April,
Thanks for your comment and sorry for the delayed response.
I am not an expert about raw milk. I value the research from Dr. Pam Popper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ3OYbSeTkY
Also, I am trying to lessen my personal supplements and get most of my nutrients from local fresh organic food…mostly vegetables. Here is Dr. Popper’s video on “throw away your supplements”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NlKGlMoUow
Another great book that may help you is called “Patient Heal Thyself”: http://www.amazon.com/Patient-Heal-Thyself-Remarkable-Groundbreaking/dp/1893910245
I hope these resources help!
🙂 Donna
Let me start off with that I am a picky or selective eater. I do not eat any vegetables. They make me want to physically gag. Which makes eating “healthy” difficult.
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Donna
It is 2018 your journey has been going on for a few yeara. Now that there is far more information on DCIS, what do you feel is the best approach for a new diagnosis in regards to any Medical process??
Great question Kristin. I am in the process of writing a new post about a more integrative and individualized approach to DCIS. I have always recommended each woman get as much information about the pathology (and biology) of their tissue as possible. This means a 2nd pathology opinion (as 25% of the time it can be wrong). Unfortunately, Dr. Lagios has just retired….women really need an expert pathologist like him they can trust. Next I would recommend having the new DCISionRT test done on the biopsy sample. (https://preludedx.com/patients/#patients-test-for-dcis). For many women, it is very important to have a supportive doctor who is supportive and willing to order tests and not pressure you to rush into decisions. Once you have more info and can better assess “risk” level of the DCIS, you may want to discuss Active Surveillance PLUS (https://dcis411.com/2017/04/11/active-surveillance-p-l-u-s-donnas-vision/) with your doctor, as well as post here or on Facebook groups and get insights on your individual situation for future monitoring. I do not see the point of making appointments with medical oncologist or radiation oncologist for women with low-risk DCIS. There is NO SURVIVAL BENEFIT to any of the medical standard of care treatments for women with low-risk DCIS. If a woman has DCIS that is considered “elevated or high risk,” the medical community has more justification for their aggressive interventions and the pressures will be very intense. There are women taking a fully alternative approach — even with invasive cancer. I have these resources for anyone interested. For imaging and monitoring, see https://dcis411.com/2017/01/10/bye-bye-mammograms-hello-sonocine-ultrasound/ and https://dcisredefined.org/choices/imaging-and-monitoring/
Hope this helps!
I had a nice time reading the article. I agree with you about the holistic approach to health. For me, it is always great to have a balance body, mind and spirit as well as preventing any diseases as much as possible. A holistic approach is the key to it. Natural way to keep our entire being on a balanced state.
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