Alternative Treatment

Anonymous

Hi Abi, yes, we'd crash BCO computers if we were to list all of the beneficial foods, spices, supps, etc. etc. Lol !

Hindsfeet

Good food is the best medicine out there. Maud, I am taking several of the supplements you mentioned, although not all the time. Sometimes our bodies craves something because it needs it. As of late, I'm craving gratefruit. At least for a week, I'm trying to drink a lot of the juice to see if my stomach settles, and the pain I have goes away. I heard a few negative things about grapefruit so I began yesterday researching grapefruit and cancer. I posted anything that had to do with cancer, not just breast cancer. And the benefit is that I read that grapefruit prevents bc and other cancers. I am doing the detox to prevent cancer recurrence. I also want a healthy liver, colon, heart, brain and immune system. It seems that grapefruit and lemons are a cleansing food.

I'm not too worried right now about drug interference/grapefruit as I'm only on Herceptin and thyroid meds. I declined tamoxifen and chemo so I have no need to worry about interference there. I'm not worried about grapefruit raising my estrogen level as I am post menapausal.

rgiuff

Several posts back, I noticed a lot of talk about phytoestrogenic foods.  I don't even give a second thought to how much of these I consume.  These are my favorite foods and some of the healthiest foods there are.  I learned at a conference a few years ago that these are so much less potent than the actual hormones and that they compete with estrogen at the receptor sites thereby helping to crowd out the natural estrogens.

Kaara

rgiuff:  I agree with you on that.  You can't eat enough of them to create a problem.  Better to watch sugar intake.

Anonymous

Until recently, I was confused about the phytoestrogens, avoiding them.  Then was told by healer to eat 1/2 c of black beans cooked w seaweed 2x day, to soak up excess estrogen.  So I do.  Here is a link I found a few days ago tha helped me understand. 

BLACK BEANS PHYTOESTROGENS

Also on the pineapple, grapefruit and noni (I am adding the noni fruit) the bromelain is key for all.  Here is link on that info.  Noni is stronger of them all, so the docs need to be more clear on what they want one to avoid, not to just say no grapefruit. 

link on grapefruit, pineapple, noni, bromelainThe Active Ingredient in Noni
(Morinda Citrifolia)

R.M. Heinicke
University of Hawaii
XERONINE AND CELL REGENERATION

In The Bulletin , April 1972, Maria Stewart described how the Hawaiians solved many of their medical problems by drinking infusions of the fruit of the noni tree (Morinda citrifolia , Rubiaceae). The missionaries, who frequently had to minister to the body as well as the soul, were impressed with the efficacy of these options. Yet identifying the pharmacologically active ingredient of noni has been difficult - for an understandably good reason. The active ingredient is not present in the plant or fruit! Only after the potion has been drunk does the active ingredient form. Sometimes!

My search for the ingredient which is active in noni began with a series of studies on the pineapple plant. Since about 1972 I had been attempting to identify the unknown ingredient in "bromelain" which gives crude preparations of this enzyme their potent pharmacological properties. (Sometimes!) After many discouraging years of research I eventually identified this ingredient as a new alkaloid to which I gave the name "xeronine." Noticing that the clinical claims of efficacy for bromelain and noni were practically identical, I tried the same techniques on noni fruit which I had developed for isolating xeronine from the pineapple plant. The technique worked! Not only was I able to isolate the same compound from noni fruit, but he yields were excellent. Today noni is one of the best raw materials to use for the isolation of xeronine....... more on link

Anonymous

Okay - I can say what I think here. 

The onc appt today was so I could get the tests I deserve.  I went there and bullshooted my way through, not letting anyone know I am alternative bcz I was turned down by THREE cancer care centers for being too honest.  Right back to what Dunes said two pages back in her experience, your own docs tell you that if you are not gonna do it my way, then the highway, not working with you.

So now the tests are almost all scheduled.  I hate this, so many, so much radioactive this and that.  But I have detox homeopathics for that, and flower essences etc.   I am a point I need to know more.  I am too exhausted but the masses in right breast, all three have disappeared within last few weeks.  And the fibro thingees in left breast went away after the Chinese medicine/acupuncture. Exhausstion can be from becoming more ill or from detoxing and healing, esp if not flushing enough or if thehealingis massive, so I need to know why I am exhausted.

BUT I am concerned bcz the GP last month and the onc today both state there is a large mass in right breast above the excisional biopsy surgery, that  it is there.  BUT I feel that it is left over breast tissue afte bx took out 1/4 of my breast.  Yes, it feels weird and dissected from rest of breast but I think it is breast tissue bcz it feels just like the tissue on left side.  

The onc today said I am not metastatic, but we will see after the tests, but he smiled, so we shall see.  Still, I had lymph node cancer, and again, I say, all they see is the breast.  I call the cancer going into  my lymph node enough of a mets to be concerned, but it is ignored.  

I also say that the mammogram floored me, bcz he asked me if I would have any objection to having one now, that floored me, bcz he aasked, like he might find a reason to not want me to do it, it has only been since Feb for 6 slides then and Sept for four slides and I did have full blown burning like IBC all over for a few months and almost had them  cut these babes off bcz of the pain of the mammos, but it went away.  So no, I am not doing mammos now, they can use PET/CT, US, brain MRI which they are since I smell smoke all the time.... but not mammos until deemed necessary. 

Saying, they are going to have to prove to me beyond the shadow of doubt that this is a mass for real before I will have  mammo.  Or a BMX.

EDITED TO ADD INFO - August 11, 2012 - The 'mass' the onc said was a mass was not, it was the breast tissue and felt weird because there was no tissue beneath since 25% of my breast was removed.  The issue I have with this is the fear for two weeks in waiting for results.   The part he said about me not being metz is to me ludicrous when the cancer is in my lymph nodes, was a year ago when the original and real mass came to light, and is proven by PET CT to be in 3 nodes now that the darn surgeon probably left since he did not do a PET CT prior to surgery. I am an alts person but I think, in hindsight, ever person with a mass that looks like mine did on a mammogram needs to have a PET CT prior to surgery so the surgeon knows where to go.  I was multifocal and he did not know.  I had morethan one positive node and he did not know, took 11 got one out of 4 it seems.  Have more tests before you commit to a surgery, the details could save your life.

 

bltw2

I have not been able to make the maple syrup bind with the baking soda as it's supposed to. It separates on cooling.  If it isn't bound together, the baking soda wouldn't be carried into the cancer cell and the maple syrup would feed the cancer cells.

abigail48

all very very informative, all.  re estrogenics, if all seeds & nuts are estrogenic what do we add for calories?  I've always except in my 50ies, been underweight & I lost 15 lbds when bob died.  & what for protein if we're vegetarian.  eggs must be estrogenic. as for phytoestrogens okay for post menopausal people, I'm way post menopausal, 23 years, but phytoestrogens, some anyway, cerainly affect the trouble, as far as discomfort goes anyway:  so, jpoy. what are anti estrogenic foods?  any at all?

luv_gardening

Abigail, common button mushrooms, red grape seeds or the resveratrol that comes from them, and one other that I can't remember.  I read about it again yesterday. 

You'd have to get a lot of grape skins to make a difference so the resveratrol is better.  Otherwise just a couple of button mushrooms a day seems to be enough.  My links are on my old computer though so I can't quote them now.

I expect they need to be taken every day, not just occasionally, otherwise it would be like taking the pills periodically.

I doubt eggs are estrogenic. Proteins are; other dairy such as milk and cheese if you eat them, nuts, legumes but not soy, anyone else have any suggestions?

Sorry, I can't think, I'm ready to leave this site.  I have other things to do.

abigail48

all seeds & nuts are on that list.  I'd google yang foods, did awhile back but forget what I got, aslo testosterone foods, googled that too & forgot alresdy. most dairy at least in this country unless?  organic have hormones added

luv_gardening

Abigail, the list shows that nuts and seeds have minimal amounts.  I doubt you could eat enough to have any effects and our own bodies are producing more than that all the time. Soy, flaxseeds and sesame seeds are the only ones that have sufficient phytoestrogens to be concerned about.  Hormones in milk would be more concerning.

Testosterone should be avoided as most of us have androgen receptors. They haven't been testing individuals for androgen receptors but now are studying it.

OK, definitely off to bed now.

abigail48

I've been looking at mushrooms again:  reishi, the hard tree mushroom, also called the mushroom of imortality, I've collected it but as I recall have never eaten any, beta gl.....no, I forget already, an immune modulator also contained in shitake, though I've never liked armillaria much, I don't see anything special about button mushrooms though I like them & Have been eating a lot of them

ananda8

I am taking olive leaf extract and curcumin along with aromosin.  I check every supplement I take with my oncologist and by looking at the research on PubMed.  PubMed is affiliated with the National Institute of Health (NIH) who also sponsors this site.  I also try to find out as much information as possible about the side effects of my supplements before I take them.  For example, curucmin should never be taken by anyone who is on a blood thinner.

Here is the link to PubMed.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Anonymous

delete

abigail48

I make olive leaf stuff myself, a handful of leaves from frontier, in 4 cups of good water, reduce to half & strain.  2 tablespoons twice a day.  very bitter & delicious.  I've taken this now for a long time.  the cooking perfumes the huse.  & now olive oil is on the estrogens list?  the dicoction has never though distressed me except anoying when it runs out

dogsandjogs

Oh no, I was just reading about the curcumin and thought it sounded interesting. Then I read the last line about blood thinners. Can't take it as I'm on Warfarin.

Oh well--

abigail48

also a blood thinner:  vitamin K, the very good stuff in citrus esp lemon peel.  just another reason not to take pharms

dogsandjogs

I know. We constantly have to juggle the dosage. The NP wants me to eat greens, but if I eat too many the blood gets too thick. I wish I could stop the blood thinner, but the doctor is worried about a stroke - my afibs sometimes go on for hours. 

However, since stopping Aromasin they have gotten less frequent and all the other miserable side effects have gone or have gotten much less.

I don't believe in taking other drugs to help side effects -on reason why I decided to quit the Aromasin in Feb.  Needless to say the onc isn't happy ---he still wants to see me, but I don't see the point really. My internist or cardiologist can do the blood tests.

dogsandjogs

I know. We constantly have to juggle the dosage. The NP wants me to eat greens, but if I eat too many the blood gets too thick. I wish I could stop the blood thinner, but the doctor is worried about a stroke - my afibs sometimes go on for hours. 

However, since stopping Aromasin they have gotten less frequent and all the other miserable side effects have gone or have gotten much less.

I don't believe in taking other drugs to help side effects -on reason why I decided to quit the Aromasin in Feb.  Needless to say the onc isn't happy ---he still wants to see me, but I don't see the point really. My internist or cardiologist can do the blood tests.

abigail48

didn't know that about greens, I do know lrttuce & onions contain opioids, for those of us in  pain.

exbrnxgrl

Abigail,

I had never heard that. What would a therapeutic dose of lettuce and/or onion be to achieve pain relief? Caryn

abigail48

no idea.  gary says he eats an onion, raw aevery day, forget just how, or how he keeps his breath fresh, I know if he goes out with people, & he does, he has them eat charcoal in case they break wind.  I'm a lot more careful these years, don;t eat dairy if I'm going to go see peopel, very stinky as I only learned "after".  have no idea if gary takes the onion for pain, I doubt it but I don;t know.  he does get pain from running the marathons.  I cook a lot of well washed leek for the taste

ananda8

SunflowersMA,

I take 500mg of Olive Leaf Extract a day.  I get it in capsule form from my health food store. There are several abstracts about it on PubMed.  It is a very effective antiviral.  I am prone to shingles and since I've been taking it, I haven't had an outbreak.  It is effective against cold sores as well. 

The main reason I'm taking it is the indications that it is effective against breast cancer cells.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=olive%20leaf%20cancer

abigail48

hm.  didn't know about the first 2 things.  I take 2 cups of mega green tea a day.  it comes in capsules, vegetarian, but I take it out of the caps & put it in a cup & add boiling water.  too bitter, would tast better I'll bet without the rice they add to prevent it from caking, & I don't think it's organic, but it is decaff, 3mg they say of caffeind a cup compared to 9 in non decaff regular green tea.  but I am hooked again, always my drug of choice, but they say blood flow to the trouble can't happen with the tea & it doesn't appear that it's been growing since I began using it last november as I recall

Momine

Notself, interesting about the olive leaf. 

Abigail, I eat raw onion on most days. Usually as part of a tomato salad, other times as a topping on some other food, sardines or fava (split pea puré). Onions are very good for you for all kinds of reasons, including to help keep the cancer away. 

exbrnxgrl

Scoured the Internet but could not find what a therapeutic dose of lettuce or onion might be for pain relief. Anyone? Caryn

Momine

Caryn, like you I have never heard this before and it sounds a bit counter-intuitive. I often eat giant piles of lettuce, and if lettuce really had any significant amount of opioids, you should be getting VERY mellow from a bowl of salad But what do I know?

exbrnxgrl

I found this info on Wikipedia ( some members will not like this, but there are quite a few other sources at the end. Please don't shoot me down!)

I'm have trouble with copy/paste on my iPad so see Lactuarium on Wikipedia .

Caryn

Momine

Aha! Thanks for the info. So it resembles opium physically and has some similar properties, but is not actually an opiate.

Kaara

I have green smoothies almost every day that have tons of kale and lettuce in them.  It hasn't completely relieved my pain, but I am certainly not having the pain that others experience that are taking tamoxifen or Al's.  Don't know if it's the lettuce that causes the relief, or some of the other supplements that I take, but all in all I feel great!