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            The Amazon Discussion Group Charter

Welcome to the Amazon Breast Cancer Discussion Group. We are glad you found us and
would like to introduce ourselves and our work. For a good introduction to our approach,
please go to the web pages on this site and familiarize yourself with our evidence-based
approach to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Amazon offers information, advocacy and support within the context and rules of our
charter. The current listowner is Lynne F. The Co-listowner is Sally G. Please email them
at admin@breastcancerchoices.org if you have any questions about how the Amazon
Discussion Group is run.

We are currently involved investigating the possible role of IODINE DEFICIENCY IN
BREAST DISEASE. You will be asked to voluntarily take an Iodine Loading Test to test your
iodine status as part of our Iodine Investigation Project. All results are confidential.


AMAZON CHARTER

Stop. Seriously. Please read our group charter CAREFULLY to the END and keep this
message for future reference. Amazon offers information, advocacy and support within
the context and rules of our charter.

Subscribing to the Amazon Discussion Group signifies you will comply with the Amazon
Charter. People who violate the charter are subject to having their posts moderated or
being unsubscribed from the group. We initiated this policy only after several isolated
email exchanges threatened the safe-haven quality of the group.


1. The Amazon Group was created for those exploring non-standard treatments for breast
cancer. Amazon is a safe and supportive forum for women to discuss treatments they are
interested in learning about. No member of this list will ever have to defend her decision to
refuse conventional treatments.

2. The Amazon Group distinguishes itself from many other cancer groups because we are
committed to discussing therapies only in terms of EVIDENCED-BASED INFORMATION.
We value authoritative documentation when claims are made. Discussing cancer is
serious business so undocumented assertions are not acceptable. See our website for
examples of documented information.

Questions are welcome. But uninformed opinions are not welcome. Please respect your
fellow Amazon list members by reading up on a subject before offering an opinion on the
facts. There are many other newsgroups and email lists which welcome off the cuff
opinion-giving.

We scientifically challenge all "givens" about the treatment of breast cancer and
encourage evidence-based debate. "Givens" are assumptions which the medical and
alternative community have passed along as true without thoroughly investigating the
facts. Some "givens" are: radiotherapy improves survival, lymph node dissection is
necessary, and HRT is bad. These "givens' do not bear scrutiny when thoroughly
researched. Amazon boasts many research enthusiasts who have spent years learning
the craft of dissecting studies.

3. Please note: unlike Amazon, other email lists exist for people who routinely plan on
chemotherapy, radiation and lymph node dissection as their primary strategies for cancer.
If you are contemplating these standard therapies, please avail yourself of those other
forums. Many of our members chose the Amazon Group to get away from chemo,
radiation and lymph node dissection as an option. Kindly respect their sensitivity and do
not introduce these subjects into the discussion. More importantly, read up for yourself on
the these procedures.

If you are unsure about the appropriateness of your topic, email the listowners first.

5. No psychologizing, please. While we want to be supportive to our listmates,  resist the
urge to translate a simple experience into an elaborate diagram of your psyche or
someone else's. If you are tempted to say "I feel," remember, "I feel" is used as much as a
weapon as it as a shield. Try communicating instead by identifying the issue at hand.
Issues share a common ground for discussion.


.6. IMPORTANT: Please do not send spam, surveys (or links to surveys OR spam) to the
group. If you have a question about whether your post falls into this category, please email
the listowners at <admin@breastcancerchoices.org>.

Spam is defined as promoting a product (via mention or link) from which you financially
benefit. Mentioning products or companies you like, on the other hand, is not spam and
we want to hear about them.

Please sign all emails to Amazon.  Some email programs do not reveal the name of the
sender. Also in keeping with our no spamming policy, please remove all commercial
affiliations from your signature. Signing your message also adds to the ongoing courtesy
of exchanges.

5. This is a secular discussion group. In consideration for those who do not share your
faith, please keep your religious beliefs offlist.

6. About the Amazon Listowners: We care about your wellbeing but we are a tough love
group. We have been running the group for many years and have learned how to avoid
trouble before it starts. We get dozens of private emails from listmembers every day as
well as those inquiring about Breast Cancer Choices, the Breast Cancer Think Tank and
the Iodine Investigation Project. We may not get to your letter in a timely fashion. Thank you
for understanding. Thank you for making our job easier by giving us less work to do.

*To insure the privacy of the list members, this list is not publicly archived.

By subscribing to The Amazon Group you are agreeing to abide by the Charter.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Possible Topics for Discussion

* Any alternative therapy such as herbs, supplements, diet, meditation, journal keeping,
fasting, etc.
* Emotional issues
* Body image
* Family
* Doctors
* Depression, pain
* Any aspect of breast cancer, etc.
* Medical studies pertaining to breast cancer
* Clinics and health professionals literate in non-standard therapies.
* Medical or Advocates conferences.


Unacceptable topics

* Reasons why chemotherapy, radiation and lymph node dissection are "necessary" or
"good."
* How to cope with chemotherapy or radiation.
* Criticism of list members for refusing orthodox treatment.
* Meta discussion about the list itself.

List Rules

* Remain civil at all times.
* Confine your criticisms to ideas rather than to individuals. Remember
that the other posters are real, live people with real, live feelings
* Sleep on angry or inflammatory posts
* Take disagreements to private email.
* IMPORTANT! There will be no posts extolling the virtues of conventional treatment or
criticizing list members for refusing those treatments.
* NEVER forward any post from this list to another list or individual. This list is for our
support and what we say on it is private and confidential.

* Amazon maintains zero tolerance for trouble-making/flaming. The listowners will
IMMEDIATELY put any poster engaging in trouble-making on permanent "review
status."  Cancer is hard enough without our email list being turned into a place of
stress.


Web page updated March 25, 2008
Breastcancerchoices.org
Innovative Research and Patient Advocacy