Lately I've been writing Sylvie BC, meaning Sylvie Beyond Cancer. Tomorrow, Wednesday the 28th, is my mastectomy surgery. It's after 9pm and I still don't have my bag packed…and I have to get up at 4:30am!!

It's a strange world. Strange times. Strange and surreal feelings wash over me. I am suddenly at a loss for words. Keep me in your thoughts. My loving wishes, Sylvie

Marcel's photo of a sunflower at Stanford

So zippy in fact, that I almost made it disappear before I could photograph it. This is my variation on an acid-free recipe in the book The pH Miracle. It's organic basmati rice drizzled with olive oil and topped with avocados. I love the smell of morning now with the pot of rice cooking.

If you're just tuning in, I'm trying to maintain a low acidic diet for my health, including fighting off my cancer. It's a good path to follow if you're of a preventative mind. Western medicine for the most part follows the doctrine of Pasteur. That is, that disease is caused by germs that invade the body, therefore we must stop germs through hygiene and antibiotics. By great contrast the book The pH Miracle reveals that Antoine Béchamp, another Frenchman and contemporary of Pasteur, had been doing research which showed that unhealthy cellular conditions in our bodies could create bacteria from within, as well as make us more vulnerable to external bugs taking hold. This is why some people catch a cold and others don't; it depends on the environment in a given person's body. An acidic environment allows for ill-health and disease to thrive. Béchamp's was called The Microzymian Theory.

Béchamp's theory which is well-founded, was discarded in favor of Pasteur's, who was a plagiarist, master marketeer and lobbyist. I drive down Pasteur Drive to get to Stanford Hospital. medical centers are named after him. Western medicine builds monuments in his name. Med students are taught to accept his as the dominant theory. This,
even after proof that on his deathbed Pasteur proclaimed that he 
himself was wrong and further stated that Béchamp's Microzymian Theory
was superior.

Enough of medicating the symptoms. Enough of blind faith in a system built on lies. I tip my glass of wheat grass juice to you Monsieur Béchamp.

A customer came into the shop recently and started talking about how she was trying to achieve a healthy balance of the acid/alkaline in her body, and recommended it for my cancer. I have since been studying this subject, bought the book "The pH Miracle", and proceeded to try to cut the acidic foods from my diet. I say try because I do love vinegar — cherry vinegar, grapefruit vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, and good old balsamic. I love olives, tea, wine, and beer (warm Guinness). But most of all, I love my COFFEE! I only drink one cup in the morning, but it's my religion. My ritual. My joy. I'm beginning to think that this pH thing is just a crock. What's wrong with a lil' acid?  Ph*ck pH! Just to show you who's boss, I'm going to insert another coffee photo…

To be serious, there really is something to this overly acidic condition. I've noticed a difference for the better in the short time since I've eliminated certain foods and ingredients from my diet. And I strive to eat more foods of an alkaline nature. Your emotions and thoughts can also be acidic. Beware. Be aware. Having said that, I can't quite bring myself to give up that one cuppa joe. Not yet. Maybe, if someone offers me a modest little farmhouse in Tuscany, I might reconsider.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey…cheers!