Alternative / Complementary Strategy List

hrf

The pharmacist at the cancer centre told me to stay away from flaxseed (I'm ER+) because it acts like estrogen. This is so confusing because I agree that no one really knows. I was putting flaxseed into my oatmeal every morning ... does that mean I brought this on myself?

Husband11

hrf, no way you brought this on yourself.  Firstly, there's no evidence flaxseed promotes breast cancer, secondly, it takes more than an estrogen like substance to create breast cancer.  Estrogen is a naturally occuring hormone, not a cause of cancer.  I don't think anone knows the cause of most breast cancers, let alone pinning it on a healthy food.  As well, you have to make a distinction between substances that may support breast cancer growth (and I'm not saying flax does) and the cause itself.

luckofthedraw

I've been eating flaxseed with cottage cheese since diagnosis in January, but have recently stopped.  According to John Lee's BC book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer, "...rancid fats or oils will activate the bad estrogens."  "Flax oil is one of the most unstable and unsaturated oils we know of, which is why we are not keen on overusing it as a nutritional supplement.  (It's okay to grind the seeds and use those in moderation.)"

One of the most frustrating things about naturopathic medicine, and allopathic for that matter, is the continual stream of conflicting information. 

JFBCADVOCATE

  

Hi... I got this information from various breast cancer websites, books and Dana Farber Nutrition Guidelines.  I tried to be sure that everything I cut/pasted was pretty well agreed upon.  I decided to make a summary sheet for myself.  I hope this helps....I cannot prove any of it works,  but I really feel better doing it.

General Health

Reduce intake of pollutants

• eat organic food (especially important for dairy products, eggs, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, apples , strawberries)
• drink filtered water (the cheapest filters are the Brita style jug filters - carbon based filter)
• reduce noxious chemicals in the home - look at your cleaners, dishwashing liquid, soaps, shampoos, etc. Try to buy 'green' products - and read the labels of what is in them. For pest control; in the house and garden, look to natural remedies - e.g. borax and icing sugar left out for ants, derris powder for fleas on dogs, garlic, marigold, chili pepper, soap sprays for plants
• especially reduce sources of chlorine in the house - use a hydrogen peroxide bleach (Ecover supplies it)
• Don't cook food in the microwave in plastic dishes, or put hot food into Tupperware - it can encourage leaking of plastic nasties into your food
• Don't use artificial sweetners
• Use house plants to reduce indoor pollution (e.g. formaldehyde, VOC's from furniture, paints, etc and those which collect in indoor air from external pollution sources)

Good indoor plants:

*Philodendron
**Areca palms
**Spider plants
Azaleas
Mother-in Law's Tongue (Sanservia loretii)
Poinsettias
Ficus trees (Ficus benjamina)
English ivy
Marginatta Doncamea
Dragon tree Draconia deremensis
Chinese evergreen Agalonema
Peace lily Spathipilyllum
Golden pothos Epiremnum aureum

There is a theory that the cactus Cereus peruvianas will reduce electromagnetic fields - worth putting one on top of the TV, computer screen etc.

Do's and Don'ts

No SUGAR - sugar feeds cancer cells

Reduce caffeine, especially coffee (especially in women prone to breast cancer)
Reduce alcohol
Reduce salt
Reduce meat
Reduce dairy - and use organic (use soy milk as much as possible - another way to increase soy intake - use soy only if ER-)
Exercise

Diet

Really Good Foods To Include in Diet

There are many cancer preventing vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in food - there follows suggestions of foods and herbs to include in the daily diet. If treating for cancer, try to increase the intake.

Juices

Probably one of the most important ways to good health is drinking freshly pressed organic fruit and vegetable juice. The best juicer I have found is the Champion juicer - in terms of ease of use, amount of juice extracted and durability of the machine. The Vita Mix makes great claims, but I found the juice to be chalky and hard to drink, as none of the pulp is extracted.

Carrot juice is especially important - the beta carotenes are strong cancer fighting elements.

Apple and spinach juice is delicious and full of goodies (theory is that in raw spinach and chard, the oxalic acid is not harmful - according to Leslie Kenton in raw foods)

Extra bits you can throw into the juicer - citrus fruit with some of the peel left on - the bioflavinoids in the peel and pith are strong anti-cancer agents (and for women also help to reduce Pre Menstrual Tension)

Chunks of fresh ginger (I keep some frozen in and add pieces into the juicing machine, great taste and full of good things for you)

Herbs - mints, lemon balm etc.

Berries and melons make great juice (no need to take the rind off the melon)

Veg juice (great with garlic and a little miso dissolved in water) - beetroot, carrot, celery, cabbage, spinach, tomato, cucumber, broccoli)

Sprouts

• Sprouts are power houses of vitamins and phytochemicals which help protect the body from all sorts of illnesses.
• Broccoli - this is a power house of ant-cancer goodies, try to buy organic seeds in bulk

Flax oil and seed - also known in England as Linseed - Do not use if estrogen positive

This is a power house of anti-cancer agents. Especially good for breast cancer, but a good general food (also good for skin problems and eczema)

Grind seeds and sprinkle onto salads and cereals

Eat the oil - don't cook with it, eat raw and only buy organic cold pressed (expensive, but worth it) - recommend 1 tablespoon mixed with 1 tablespoon cottage cheese per day, keep oil and seeds in the fridge

Oils and fats

DO

eat lots of organic, cold pressed olive oil (good anti- breast cancer)

Cook with olive oil, ORGANIC butter or ground nut oil

DON"T

Eat margarine or cook with sunflower oil - margarine is full of fatty acids which have been implicated in cancer - and which are not made in the body, but are commonly found in the membranes of cancer cells. Sunflower oil when cooked and heated also creates similar fatty acids.

Tofu & Soy only if estrogen negative

Wonderful soy products - great anti cancer (particularly breast cancer)

Eat tofu in as many guises as possible (always buy organic and look for non genetically modified)

Tofu is great marinated in balsamic vinegar, mustard, herbs and wine and used in pasta and Mediterranean dishes

Generally, marinating tofu makes it much more flavorful, chop into cubes and add to a bowl of sauce - stir, leave at least a day - in ground spices, soy sauce, Chinese sauces, in coconut milk with Thai herbs - turmeric, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf, ginger, in curry sauce etc.

Miso

Miso is a fermented bean paste, very high in B vitamins - important for the nervous system and immune system  ( I use aduki bean miso -  I am estrogen +)

Do not cook miso, but dissolve a little in warm water to add at the end of cooking to soups, stews and tofu dishes. It is a fermented substance, the microorganisms are good for the digestion and will be killed by cooking

Seaweed

Cock a block with minerals and vitamins, especially iron and iodine - very useful for the immune system. Add to salads and soups and stir fries.

Organic Live Yogurt

Good microorganisms help the body to digest and assimilate many of the foods and minerals, especially B minerals, easy to make using a culture - a few tablespoons of live yoghurt in warm milk - kept warm over night (thermos, airing cupboard), you can keep using cultures from the yogurt you make for a while - after a bit, you will need top buy in fresh

Green Tea

Nature has published Swedish cancer research, proving that green tea contains a substance that prevents cancer

Herbs

Eat raw - in salads and add to teas

Thyme - antioxidant and anti-cancer

Rosemary - anti stress and calming

Sage - may help prevent Alzheimer's, helps reduce hot flushes - either from menopause or Tamoxifen

Chasteberry - helps reduce hot flushes - either from menopause or Tamoxifen, take as tablet

Saw Palmetto (for men) helps to reduce risk of prostrate cancer, take as tablet

Yarrow and red clover (breast cancer)

Nettles (cooked or in tea)

marigold

Turmeric - very important anti-oxidant, can also be bought raw in the root form from eastern grocery stores - grate or chop finely into salads and dishes

Fish

Lots of oily fish - salmon, tuna

Vegetables and Fruits - use organic whenever possible or wash fruit as follows:

spray bottle

funnel

small bowl

   1 cup water

1 cup white vinegar

2 tbsp baking soda

Step1: In small bowl combine 1 cup water, vinegar, baking soda and grapefruit seed extract. Then stir.
Step2: Place a funnel in the mouth of the spray bottle and gradually pour liquid into the bottle.
Step3: After closing container; spray concoction on fruits and vegetables. Let it sit for an hour or two. Then rinse.

‘5 A Day' program and how can it can help prevent cancer

In 1991, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Produce for Better Health Foundation launched a campaign to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables to 5 to 9 servings a day for every American. "There is no specific fruit or vegetable responsible for reducing cancer risk," says the 5 A Day for Better Health Program website. "Research shows that it is the regular consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables that reduces risk." Five servings is considered the minimum. For men, the recommendation is nine servings per day; for women, it is seven.

To help people gauge their intake, the 5 A Day website defines a serving size as the amount of fruit or vegetable that can fit in the palm of your hand. The following portions are examples of single serving sizes:

• A small (3/4 cup or 6 oz) glass of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• A medium-size piece of fruit (an orange, small banana, medium-size apple)
• One cup of raw salad greens
• 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
• 1/2 cup of cut-up fruit or vegetables
• 1/4 cup of dried fruit
• 1/2 cup of cooked beans or peas

Although the portions sizes are simple to understand, fitting them into a busy lifestyle is another matter. The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation and the 5 A Day program offer the following tips for meeting 7-9 fruit and vegetable servings per day:

• Have a glass of 100% juice in the morning. Add fruit to your breakfast cereal.
• Snack on fresh fruit throughout the day. Grab an apple or banana on your way out the door.
• Eat a big salad at lunch. Always order lettuce and tomato on your sandwich.
• Snack on raw veggies with low-fat dip instead of chips or candy.
• Keep trail mix made with dried fruit on hand for a quick snack.
• Use the salad bar at your supermarket for precut fruits and vegetables.
• Enjoy your favorite beans and peas. Add them to salads. Try black bean and corn salsa for snacking.
• Replace creamy pasta sauces, with sautéed vegetables or tomato sauce made with healthy olive oil.
• Top a baked potato with broccoli and yogurt.
• Add fresh or frozen veggies to your favorite pasta sauce or rice dish.
• Eat at least two vegetables with dinner.
• Choose fruit instead of a richer dessert.

Lots of raw tomatoes - for men, helps not to get prostrate cancer, tomatoes have lycopene in them and function much like Tamoxifen; thus they are not only good for men who want to avoid prostate cancer; they are excellent anti-cancer foods for women wanting to avoid cervical, uterine, and breast cancers.

Miscellaneous

Massage and aromatherapy for relaxing and rejuvenating immune system
Yoga and mediation - so key to relax and strengthen your body's own immune system
Visualization - this cannot be over emphasized - stimulating the bodies own defenses read Peace Love and Healing by Bernie Siegel, Published by Rider London

There are some good tapes which help you to conduct a guided visualization, or write your own

Art therapy and write a journal - try to express your feelings and emotions read The Secret World of Drawing, Healing through Art - Gregg Farth Sigo Press, Boston

Pay attention to your dreams, read Creative Dreaming, Patrick Garfield, The Way of the Dream, Marie Louise Von Franz

Avoid Estrogen producing foods:

Motherwort leaf, saw palmetto berry, Rhodiola rosea root, and red clover blossom interacted strongly with the rats' estrogen receptors, indicating that they have a strong estrogen-like effect in the body. Dang gui root, black and blue cohosh, vitex berry, hops flower, wild yam, and licorice root also showed some estrogen-like effects. Maca root, cramp bark, and turmeric root showed the weakest estrogen effect.

Avoid Parabenes, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Sulfates and phlalates in beauty products and foods:

Here are some food products know to contain parabens:

Mayonnaise
Mustard
Salad dressings
Processed vegetables
Jams and jellies
Soft drinks and fruit juices
Baked goods and candy
Spiced sauces
Marinated fish products


Here are the Pharmaceutical and hygiene products:

Make-up

Sunscreens
Bandages
Ear, eye and nose drops
Vaginal and rectal medications
Moisturizing lotions and creams
Antiperspirants and deodorants
Shampoos and conditioners
Soaps and toothpaste
Hair styling and skin care products

Anti-Estrogen Diet:

An anti-estrogenic diet is simple and delicious. It has three main points: • Eat down on the food chain. Eat foods that are more in tune with our genetic makeup such as fruits, vegetables, beans, roots, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy and wild-caught fish. • Minimize foods treated with chemicals. Eat as much organic food as possible, and avoid synthetic vitamins. • Supplement your diet with nutrients that support your hormones. The flavones chrysin, apigenine, quercetin, and narigenin all inhibit estrogen, as well as the indoles: indole 3 carbinol, diindolymethane (DIM), and indole 3 acetate.

The anti-estrogenic diet consists of a three-week jump start program. The first week is a liver detoxification program that will cleanse the liver and enhance its functioning to create an environment that will allow your body to efficiently metabolize fats and carbohydrates for energy.

Phase I relies on fresh fruits and vegetables (heavy on crucifers such as broccoli), low-fat yogurt, fertile eggs, beans, whole grains, wild-caught fish and aged cheese, and prepares the body to switch from fuel based on carbohydrates to fuel based on fat. "Most people can tell a difference by the end of only one week," says Hofmekler.

Phase II emphasizes eating foods that promote anti-estrogenic hormones (progesterone in women and testosterone in men). Raw nuts, seeds, and olives are added to the diet as the body shifts from carbohydrate-based to fat-based fuel.

Phase III introduces meats, breads and pastas to the diet, but only in the evening meal and only on alternate days. Rotate phase III days with days of Phase I or II.

After reintroducing meats to your diet, remember when making food choices that food from the bottom of the food chain will probably be better for your body than a food from the top.

Far from being a calorie-curbing, austere diet, the anti-estrogenic diet offers possibilities for a variety of delicious foods that probably include your favorite dishes - with a few substitutions. For example, substituting soy oil with olive oil changes an ingredient from estrogenic to anti-estrogenic. And regardless of your ethnic background, anti-estrogenic foods fit right in. "Generally, any ethnic recipe based on fresh vegetables or cooked crucifiers is anti-estrogenic," says Hofmekler, whose website, www.defensenutrition.com, provides more information on the diet.

Be patient, says Hofmekler, and even the most stubborn fat, including estrogen-sensitive belly fat, will eventually melt away.

Recommended Foods

Specific foods that have an anti-estrogenic effect include cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts), citrus fruits, organic milk products, nuts, avocados, eggs, coffee and tea. Organic foods are to be selected whenever possible Hofmekler also advises the use of supplements to increase the effectiveness of the program by inhibiting estrogen and enhancing liver detoxification.

Produce Codes:

For conventionally grown fruit, (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers beginning with a 4 or 3. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. For example,

  

A conventionally grown banana would be:

4011

An organic banana would be:

94011

A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be:

84011

 

Best Wishes & Good Health,

Judy

lrsreyes

Bump for newbies

MsBliss

Here's most of my list so far:

In isolation from food/meds/other supplements:

Modified Citrus Pectin

Avemar Ultra

Immpower AHCC mushroom fractions

These I take with food:

COQ10

Ester C

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Fish Oil

Fresh ground Flax seeds

Loxin 5 (important for triple negative bc)

Curcumin

Vitamin D3

Iodine pills sourced from sea veggies

Iscador injections 3 x a week

Cinnamon

Fresh veggie juices a few times a week made at home

Real foods only--but I'm not giving up my coffee with cream!

Husband11

bump.  added to list, tocotrienols and IP3

WLL

Does anyone know about any natural detox recipes or diets?

valeriekd

I heard flax seed is not ok for er+ gals b/c itnis a phytoestrogen also question fish oil supplements for other reasons? I am trying to figure out an optimal diet- not be critical- v.

Husband11

bump to revisit this topic for new submissions

PiscesMoon

Timothy wrote:

hrf, no way you brought this on yourself.  Firstly, there's no evidence flaxseed promotes breast cancer, secondly, it takes more than an estrogen like substance to create breast cancer.  Estrogen is a naturally occuring hormone, not a cause of cancer.  I don't think anone knows the cause of most breast cancers, let alone pinning it on a healthy food.  As well, you have to make a distinction between substances that may support breast cancer growth (and I'm not saying flax does) and the cause itself.

i have to agree wholeheartedly with this.  it bears re-posting.

~M