Taking a poll: What are you taking as prevention??

mrsdeg

Taking a poll: What are you taking as prevention??

mrsdeg

Ok-

I've searched the threads, and read some of your thoughts... 

I'd love to hear what you have decided to take, post treatment, as prevention.

I did both chemo and rads, and now I'm on tamoxifen.  I just started to take a green tea extract capsule... with my multivit and B6 (for periph neuropathy).

I'm wondering about adding other things...

thanks for any ideas you may have!

Sue

wallycat

I feel that Tamoxifen is my best bet.

I do use ground flax in cereal for omega-3/fiber.

I do use alpha-lipoic acid to lower glucose.

I just started Quercetin for my birch tree allergies.

I drink green tea (high dosage supplements can hurt your liver).

Of course, I still drink wine, I eat meat and tofu.

I hate cancer...and I hate it more for being a crap-shoot

joanne_elizabeth

I take calcium, glucosamine, multi, fish oil, probiotics, quercitin, garlic, zyflammend, curcumin, astralagus, d-glucarate, DIM-Plus and probably a couple more.

Don't know if any of them do anything, but they seem to be safe.

I eat some whole soy and drink only organic milk and eat only organic yogurt except for ice cream every once in awhile. 

Ditto what wallcat said - I also hate this crapshoot. 

anondenet

I'm taking the list of supplements on the right side of the this link.

http://breastcancerchoices.org/sup.html

I'm using Iodine as a substitute for Tamoxifin/ Arimidex.

Anom

Dejaboo

Hi Anom,

  I want to take Iodine as a Substitute for Tamox/Arimidex.

Can you tell me what kind  you bought & were you purchased it?

How much do you take each day?

To answer your Poll Question.

Right now I am taking Vit D, Calcium & Melatonin

I plan on Adding Iodine,  Tumeric/Curcumin, CoQ10.

Maybe Omega 3

Im still researchign all of the above.

I will probably find others that I will consider adding.

Thanks,

Pam

DATO

I'm taking Green tea extract, CoQ10, Omega 3, Vitamin E, Citracal, Glucosamine/Condroitin/MSM, Multivitamin, and Arimidex.

twink

ooh... I'm almost embarassed to type this list (evidence of me trying to win the crapshoot)...

CoQ10 (just started last week)

D3

B12

Multi

Calcium

Cod Liver Oil

Black Cohosh

Folic Acid

Curcumin

Flax oil

I eat organic.  Don't eat red meat more than a couple of times per month.  I drink wine and expecially enjoy my martinis.  I eat lots of fruit and watch my fat intake.

I think I'll add C to that list next week.

AnneW

Taking for general health/prevention:

--Body Balance liquid vitamin & mineral supplement

--Indole 3 Carbinol

--P5P

--Fish Oil

--Cal/Mag/D3

--L-Carnitine

--Aromasin

Doing for general health/prevention:

--exercising my ass off

--drinking way less alcohol (but still enjoying a weekly martini!)

--eating a balanced diet

--laughing alot

--letting go of what I cannot control

To me, it's not just about the supplements.

Anne

anondenet

Hi Dejaboo,

I take Iodoral iodine tablets. The doctors prescribing it recommend 50-100 mg for breast cancer patients. After a couple of years you can cut down the dosage somewhat.

As a side benefit, I lost some weight and my mind got sharper --tho I still can never remember where I put down my glasses!

Anom

Dejaboo

Thanks Anom!

Your wearing your glasses!  LOL

I sure would love to get some of my Memory back!

Anonymous

Are you all aware that Tamoxifen increases your risk for developing uterine cancer?

Tamoxifen is an estrogen receptor-alpha antagonist in breast and bone tissue (thus causing osteoporosis), its also an agonist in uterus tissue, and has been linked to increased risk for uterine cancers.


You should consider speaking with your doctor about Raloxifene. Raloxifene is in the same category as Tamoxifen, it is a SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator). However, Tamoxifen is inferior to Raloxifene.

Raloxifene is still "experimental" but its ue to replace Tamoxifen and many women are using Raloxifene instead.

Raloxifene is an antagonist in breast tissue AND uterus tissue, and an agonist in bone tissue (thus will not cause osteoporosis or any loss in bone mineral density). This is the ideal profile for a SERM, Tamoxifene has a poor profile, as it will negatively impact bone health as well as uterus health. Whereas Raloxifene will not, and still accomplish the same effect in breast tissue.

This is a far far more desireable profile verse. Tamoxifen. Many doctors are simply unaware of the existence of Raloxifene. If you speak with your doctor about it you may be able to be switched to Raloxifene, which will be far better for your body.



Wallycat, wonderful to see your taking Quercetin. But you state you take it for allergies. Are you aware of its other benefits towards breast cancer???

Quercetin is cytotoxic towards breast cancer cells, and has been shown to actuall reverse breast cancer in some cases.

Additionally, Quercetin is a very powerful antioxidant thus reducing levels of free radical oxidants, which damage DNA and studies suggest may play a role in the development of cancer.

Furthermore and perhaps most impressive, is that Quercetin is a steroid sulfatase inhibitor. In breast cancer, the majority of the estrogen is estrone formed via sulfatase metabolism of estrone sulfate. Using Quercetin has been shown to not only prevent breast cancer, but to also inhibit the proliferation and progression of existent breast cancer by inhibting breast cancer cell gene activation. Thus it can dramatically slow the progression of breast cancer, allowing earlier detection which equates to higher chance of successful intervention, treatment, and recovery, thats aside from its preventative benefits.


Joanne, also wonderful to see you are taking D-Glucarate. Another very smart choice. D-Glucarate is a very powerful detoxifying agent which can remove potentially carcinogenic toxins and heavy metals from the body, which are acquired via dietary and environmental exposure and can play a role in cancer development related to environmental and dietary factors.

But thats secondary to its best benefit for breast cancer, which is that D-Glucarate is a Beta-glucuronidase inhibitor. Beta-glucuronidase interferes with the glucuronidase metabolic pathway of estrogen metabolism. B-glucuronidase prevents estrogen from being successfully metabolised and thus cleared from the body, and instead promotes the re-cycling of estrogen back into the endocrine system where it will re-elicit its effects.



Joanne, you also eat soy. You should boost that up. Every single person here should eat ALOT of soy every single day. Soy has been WELL established to prevent breast cancer. This is because soy contains isoflavone phytoestrogens such as Genistein.

In asian regions where high soy consumption is the dietary norm, the incidence of breast cancer are DRAMATICALLY lower. Scientists began probing what influenced this, and soon discovered it was their soy intake. Many studies have since shown that high soy consumption significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer. 2-3 servings of soy per day, as soy milk, soy beans (which are very tastey by the way!), tofu, and soy-based pastas, are excellent ways to meet the dietary goal.

Soy contains Genistein, an isoflavone phytoestrogen. Genistein is a SERM, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator just like Tamoxifen and Raloxifene are. Genistein does have a different profile of agonist/antagonist tissue selective pharmacokinetics as well as different receptor kinetics, with a more selective affinity for estrogen receptor beta subtype instead of alpha subtype.

Conflicting studies have shown Genistein to promote breast cancer where others have shown it to prevent. This is in part because of inconsistent and flawed study protocols and animal models used.

All studies following high soy consumption have shown positive effects for preventing breast cancer. Whereas some studies isolating the major active component of soy, Genistein, have been conflicting for the reasons stated above.


Genistein, like Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, works by binding selectively to certain estrogen receptors with different actions in different tissues. The general idea behind SERMs like Tamoxifen and Genistein, is that they either;

A) Bind to an estrogen receptor and elicit an ANTAGONIST effect which means they dont signal a "positive" or "effecting" estrogen signal

Bind to an estrogen receptor and elicit an AGONIST effect but at a degree far far less potently than what the bodies endogenous (natural) estrogens do. Thereby blocking estrogen receptors with a weaker agonist, so that the stronger, natural, estrogens cannot bind to those receptors.


Most SERMs are mixed agonist/antagonists, and have either agonist or antagonist effects in different tissues.

Tamoxifen is an antagonist in breast tissue and bone tissue, but an agonist in uterus tissue. Therefore it promotes uterus cancer, and being an antagonist in bone tissue, it promotes osteoporosis and an overall loss in bone mineral density.

Raloxifene is an antagonist in breast tissue and uterus tissue, thereby preventing both breast cancer and uterus cancer, but it is an agonist in bone tissue, thereby preventing osteoporosis and a general loss in bone mineral density.

Raloxifene is by far the more superior of the two, and is gaining rapid popularity. Within the next 5-10 years Tamoxifen will be completely replaced by Raloxifene as its existence becomes more known to the medical community.


If you are currently taking Tamoxifen, please speak to your doctor about Raloxifene. theres a good chance you can get switched to Raloxifene, and it will be far better for you to do so. Your doctor may not be aware of Raloxifene, so informing him or her about it could very well open their eyes and help expand the use of this improved SERM.



Additionally I would like to state that my company is currently developing a product for lowering a womens risk of developing or re-developing breast cancer. It will use an array of beneficial mechanisms, some highlighted above. This is an over the counter product, and is supported by ample clinical research. It promises to be the most effective product on the nutraceutical market for preventing breast cancer. while of course nothing can totally prevent it, it can and will significantly lower your risk for developing or re-developing breast cancer.


PREVENTION is the ONLY CURE for breast cancer, and its the BEST cure there could ever be.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a huge gap in the amount of information for breast cancer prevention (in the first place, BEFORE ever developing breast cancer), compared to the amount of information regarding "AFTER THE FACT" treatment options.

I am confident tens of thousands of women a year could be spared the development of breast cancer if they took preventative measures in the first place. ALL women should do this, wether they have a family history or not, as ALL women are at risk regardless of lifestyle, age, ethnicity, location, environment, and so forth.

Bren-2007

Geez,

I've totally flunked the prevention class with my first three.

Chocolate, coffee, smoking, gardening, laughing, and more yard work.

That's it.

Kissed my memory good-bye a couple of months ago!

mrsdeg

Thanks for all of the info!

What a good website, Anom, thanks!  That was what I was looking for. 

I'm also doing organic dairy and poultry and some fruits and veg (cost permitting).  I'm trying to be active and get to my ideal weight and stay there (this time!)

Laughing, gardening, and sleeping are all on my list, too!

I'm staying away from flax and soy due to my 100%ER+/100%PR.  Do you all agree with that?

Thanks!  Gotta go roll those dice!

Sue

paige-allyson

 Like you my bc was highly ER+ also PR+. In addition to faithfully taking Femara and every 3 month Lupron injections I take a few supplements and have a longish list of things I make a point of eating or make a point of avoiding. There are no guarantees but I get a lot of satisfaction out of my efforts to stack the odds in my favor.

*D3 1600mg

*calcium citrate w/magnesium about 1200mg 

*maitake/reishi mushroom

*milk thistle extract w/artichoke and dandelion extracts

*rosemary extract

*melatonin

*1/2 c organic grape juice most days

* 2 Brazil nuts most days

*sometimes fish oil or eat sardines

*green tea- amt varies- at least 2 cups daily

*no alcohol

*no red meat (haven't eaten this for years)

*whole grains, low fat, high plant food diet (although lately logging my intake I've realized I'm not doing as well as before and need to work on this).

*limit dairy and consume only organic

*avoid soy and flax

* exercise daily at least 30 minutes but often 1 hour or more- doing triathlon training so this will continue to increase

* I've lost weight about 25 pounds since just before dx 1 year ago and intend to lose about 10 more

*Also eat mostly organic- we joined an organic farmshare this year with my daughter and will soon be picking up and picking our huge share of all sorts of organic fruits and vegetables. We are also doing some gardening- put in strawberries, raspberries, and a couple of blueberry bushes this month.

* Also raise our own chickens and eat a lot of eggs- this started a little before the bc dx. Previously I hardly ever ate eggs. Recently I've heard they are beneficial in prevention so am extra glad we have such an abundance right in our backyard.

Bliz

DIM

green drink

liquid multi-vitamin

black cohosh

fish, flax, borage

Zyflamend

more organic food

water through a filter

joanne_elizabeth

Ally,

Why do you avoid dairy and do you rely on calcium supplements for most of your calcium?

Thanks,

joanne 

Connie07

Congrats to all of you doing so much, as I sip my coffee with liquid creamer which I just learned is a bad thing, but it's sooo good.

I got BC and my husband got healthy. He does the shopping now, and feeds me lots of lean meat, legumes, whole grains. I have to go buy my lite beer if I want it, and I do. He's lost almost 60 pounds. I lost 20 but it's creeping back, hmmmm might be that beer? Pretty amazing that I didn't gain a ton.

I've added a multi, 500 mg calcium with mag/D. A green tea supplement with an appetite suppressent, iron and E-500.  Had a blood panel 2-weeks ago but haven't seen the results yet. It's like they don't want you to know.

paige-allyson

Joanne- My oncologist mentioned dairy as something to avoid or limit, in addition to soy and flax. Dairy from hormone treated cows is a particular concern. However, all dairy is a problem because the cows are pregnant so much of the time and the hormones from the pregnancy spill over into their milk. This is potentially a big problem for someone like me with a highly hormone sensitive cancer at high risk of recurrence. In addition IGF-1, present in all milk from humans and cows, has been implicated in accelerating tumor growth and increasing risk of breast cancer. I supplement heavily with calcium citrate which is better absorbed than some other forms of calcium. I haven't quit milk entirely but I do try to limit it and to have organic products when I do use milk. My goal is to whittle it down to being a rare treat.

joanne_elizabeth

I have read the same thing your onc says, but now eat organic yogurt for the calcium. I find it nearly impossible to get enough calcium without dairy.

Very few oncs tell you this though - 2 where I go said dairy was no problem. Do you mind if I ask where your onc is?

So how much calcium do you take? Right now I take about 800mg/day plus a yogurt.

Thanks,

Joanne 

paige-allyson

Joanne- No problem. He's at Dana Farber in Boston MA. I took his advice very seriously since like most MDs he overall has had little to say about nutrition and recurrence prevention other the methods that involve meds (which I also take full advantage of !!!). I try to take at least 1000mg- it should be 1,200 total from suppements and food. You are probably in the ballpark. Allyson

joanne_elizabeth

That is a very prestigous place.  It is so frustrating that he says no soy or milk or flaxseed.  The onc here said fermented soy is GOOD and some docs say the same about flaxseed.  It is so frustrating that there are no good answers to this .

Joanne 

cureme1

Hey I haven't started chemo yet but am taking

 D1000mg,

 green tea,

 dark green fresh veg,

 carrot/celery/kale juice, oat milk, 2000mg calcium supplements, selenium,only multi grain bread , organic free range chicken and beans....

paige-allyson

Joanne- I know, the info on soy and flax is confusing. For peace of mind I am mainly avoiding both until there is conclusive evidence that they are safe. Dairy I think is less ambiguous in that there are some real problems with it that are not just theoretical/correlational.

joanne_elizabeth

I know the theory about dairy - even the organic has naturally occurring growth hormones, but the onc said there are no studies which show this actually promotes breast cancer. I seem to pick a middle of the road - drink almond milk (whatever the heck that is!) and eat organic dairy non-fat yogurt.  I sometimes eat fermented soy, but not often and do eat flax since everything I have read seems to think that has a preventive impact on breast cancer.  It docks with a weaker estrogen in receptors so the stronger ones cannot to put it simply.  In her book Waking the Warrior Goddess she specifically recommneds flax - think she had her hand in the development of brevail. I had this pang of terror last night thinking yikes you may only get one shot at this, but how DO you get it right?

Joanne 

paige-allyson

Joanne-I do the same- almost exactly. Almond milk in my cereal, etc. Lowfat organic milk in my coffee if I am out of oat milk (which tastes better in coffee than almond or rice milk). I have lowfat organic yogurt here and there, and occasionally some other dairy but not as a daily thing. I will eat flax if it happens to be in something in a small quantity but I don't seek it out. I know it may be more beneficial than harmful but I am waiting for more definitive evidence. It is hard to know if one is "getting it right." I know those pangs of terror all too well, although thankfully have not had one recently. With all the ambiguity in these things I can only do my best. It also helps me to keep my focus on those things that really seem to make a BIG difference, like daily exercise and maintaining a healthy weight (with the goal of getting to and staying on the low side of healthy).

Allyson

mrsdeg

bumpin...

FEB

Anom, thanks for the interesting link. I have been doing liver and colon detox's so it was good to read that this is a good thing. I am taking a multi vit, with no iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, vit c, vit d, vit e, bcomplex, coq10, omega3, melatonin, and some progesterone drops because my level is low. I am going to talk to my holistic doc about the iodine next time I see her.

joanne_elizabeth

Linda,

What makes you think the multi with no iron is good?  Is iron a bad thing to use?  I have also heard it may be good to take one with no copper. Have you heard that?

Thanks,

Joanne 

paige-allyson

Since I last posted here I have switched to using oat milk in my coffee. It works MUCH better than almond or rice milk and has more protein too- 4 grams versus 1 gram. It's calcium fortified like the others.

jason222

Hi everyone,

Would like to ask, some seems to be avoiding flax, may i know why? coz i just bought flax seed oil for my mum.

Not sure if what i'm doing is right. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.