I am so pleased to report that today's blood and CT work-up was very good. The CEA (the cancer marker we follow) is just 3.4, the best (lowest) number since last January. Maybe there's something clean about winter air?!? The CT scan is also good, so I'm still experiencing No Evidence of Disease.

When asked by my doctor if I have noticed any changes in my condition, I told him that I have been feeling very well, much the opposite of my usual winter doldrums. In fact, I've been floating along just a little shy of euphoric for the last few weeks. How did this come to be? Well, mostly as the result of reading I’ve been doing lately, I’ve added 2 ingredients to my daily routine: Vitamin D and green tea—Japanese Sencha.

Vitamin D was first mentioned in an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in November I think. The author, a local doctor, argued that at our latitude we don’t get enough sunlight—from fall to spring—to produce sufficient Vitamin D, and that the government’s recommended daily allowance is much lower than what we truly need. Then I read an amazing book, Anticancer : a new way of life by David Servan-Schreiber, one of the founders of Doctors Without Borders. He experienced a brain cancer while in his 30s—treated it conventionally with surgery and chemo—and then suffered a recurrence. At that point he started researching what he could do to reduce the likelihood of another recurrence and he learned a lot, and thank goodness he wrote a book. Dr. Servan-Schreiber also recommends vitamin D and many antioxidants including green tea. So there you go, ask me if you want to know more and/or give it a try yourself!

Happy New Year to everyone!