Arming women with basic information and the confidence and knowledge to conduct their own research is the basis for Empowered: A Woman-to-Woman Guide to Preventing and Surviving Breast Cancer written by Sheryl Ellinwood and published by The Write Place of Macomb, Illinois, and Pella, Iowa.
The author, Ellinwood, knows firsthand the fear and panic behind the words “breast cancer,” but moved beyond her fear to she could research and understand the ramifications behind those words.
“Hearing that I had breast cancer was like suddenly being dropped into a foreign land where I didn’t understand the customs or speak the language,” said Ellinwood. “My doctors spoke a foreign language.”
Like many women, Ellinwood was asked to make decisions about treatments that she didn’t understand, decisions that would affect the rest of her life. So, Ellinwood did what she normally does when she travels to a foreign land. She looked for a guidebook. “But I could find no such book for the land of breast cancer. I found plenty of information on individual breast cancer topics, but no guidebook that put all the facts together in an accessible format. I realized I needed to make one for myself.”
So, before making her treatment decisions, Ellinwood started researching her cancer and its many fronts—prevention, politics, standard treatment, alternative treatment, and more. Doing her research enabled her to avoid a life-threatening mistake and to choose the right treatment.
In Empowered: A Woman-to-Woman Guide to Preventing and Surviving Breast Cancer, Ellinwood shares findings that women may not be aware of—woman-to-woman, clearly, and comprehensibly—and then provides links to in-depth information on each topic. The guide is not just for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, but also for every woman who wants to prevent an occurrence or re-occurrence of breast cancer.
Ellinwood explains the risks and benefits of food choices, the role of hormones and mineral deficiencies in breast cancer growth, and how to avoid cancer-causing toxins. She examines how these factors create an environment for breast cancer to grow and explains how women can make choices to reduce their risk.
In this book, the author takes very technical information and makes it understandable. Then, she leads women step-by-step through the process of doing their own research so they will be sure to choose the best treatment for themselves.
This year alone, 192,300 women in the United States will develop breast cancer. Every two to three minutes another woman will learn she has this disease. Empowered is clearly a book that can benefit all women.
Says Peter Boelens, MD, MPH, “Sheryl Ellinwood boldly covers two crucial healthcare topics—personal responsibility and prevention. These topics are under the rubric of breast cancer, but the book also provides guidance for any disease state, for the maintenance of health in general, and for the prevention of disease. As such, Empowered is a must-read!”
Celeste Hughes, a doctor of naturopathy and a holistic healthcare practitioner, describes the book as “a practical, well-written discussion of important research that every woman should be made aware of.”
“I wholeheartedly endorse Empowered as a thorough and well-written book,” says Charles Schafer MD, DABS, and author of Health and Humor. “It includes a wealth of information on how to prevent breast cancer, including ways to strengthen the immune system—a strengthening that would, of course, prevent more than just breast cancer.”
The author’s research into cancer and its treatments and prevention began more than a year before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. When someone close to her was diagnosed with melanoma, she immediately began researching the disease and less toxic, more effective treatments than those offered under the current standard of care. When Ellinwood herself was diagnosed with cancer, she continued her research, focusing on breast cancer.
An artist, Ellinwood is the owner of ellinwood studios, inc. That business began with glassblowing and evolved into the creation of jewelry and home décor that is sold in shops and galleries across the country. She also creates large commissioned glass wall pieces for major hospitals.
The author and her husband, Jerome (Jerry) Keller, live and work together in rural Knoxville, Iowa. In addition to the book, Ellinwood’s diagnosis also inspired her to create a breast cancer bracelet, the Pink emPOWER bracelet. For more information about the Pink emPOWER project, visit www.pinkempower.com.
Empowered: A Woman-to-Woman Guide to Preventing and Surviving Breast Cancer is available for purchase from The Write Place. Send check or money order to:
The Write Place
599 228th Place
Pella, IA 50219
