Just Diagnosed ...Grape seed extract while waiting?????

sugarlandIDC

I'm 43, pre-menopausal and have IDC and DCIS in the left breast.  I am newly diagnosed and just confirmed ER+ and PR+ both at 90%.  While still in testing stages (MRI on Friday, oncologist meeting July 11), is there any benefit to starting on a hollistic approach to stop the estrogen?  (grape seed extract, DIM).  I hate the waiting and while I know it's necessary for all the testing would love to know I'm doing something to start fighting now.

sweetbean

Totally, start on an anti-cancer diet now and definitely throw in the DIM and grapeseed extract.  20mgs of melatonin at night is very anti-cancer - literally puts your cancer cells to sleep.  Cut out sugar and processed foods and reduce or eliminate meat and dairy.  I highly recommend Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life and Life Over Cancer. 

 Sorry you are joining us, but now that you're here, you're family.

 Edited to change the dosage because I shouldn't if I haven't had my coffee!

sugarlandIDC

Thanks SweatBean!  Do you have any dosage recommendations?

Anonymous

Sweetbean,

Do you want to rethink that 20,000 mg. of melatonin suggestion?

sweetbean

OH!  Hahaha!  Yes, Don't take 20,000mgs.  That's a lot of bottles of melatonin.  20mgs - that's what I take.

sweetbean

Totally, start on an anti-cancer diet now and definitely throw in the DIM and grapeseed extract.  20mgs of melatonin at night is very anti-cancer - literally puts your cancer cells to sleep.  Cut out sugar and processed foods and reduce or eliminate meat and dairy.  I highly recommend Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life and Life Over Cancer. 

 Sorry you are joining us, but now that you're here, you're family.

itsjustme10

Please say you're talking about micrograms not milligrams - otherwise that's more than 6000 3 mg tablets a day, which seems a bit excessive....

(in my best Homer Simpson voice...Stupid metric system ..)

sweetbean

Crap, I don't know. Let me get the bottle.

sweetbean

Alright, the bottle says each tablet contains 3mg.  I take 6 at bedtime.  So 18mg a night and I sleep like a baby. 

sweetbean

Hahaha!  6000 tablets!  That does seem a tad excessive!

LtotheK

I think 2mgs is more the melatonin recommendation...and you have to experiment with what works to put you to sleep.  Different for different people.

I highly recommend working with a good holistic practitioner.  I had a wonderful one during my treatment.  She taught me so many things I didn't know.  I really think it's ill advised to do the one-size-fits-all approach to supplements.  There could be so many underlying issues that could change your health, parathyroid, calcium, hormone balances, etc. etc. etc. 

sweetbean

Black-cat and itsjustme FTW.

exbrnxgrl

Sweetbean,

I can barely spell my name without my morning coffee. My melatonin tabs are 3 mg. If I take two, it knocks me out. There was another thread which mentioned 20 mg as a "therapeutic" dose. Not sure about that. Dr. Google turned up mixed reports. I'm afraid i'd be comatose at 20 mg! Caryn

LtotheK

Too much melatonin can have the opposite effect.  Titration usually starts at a fraction of the 2-3 mg standard dose.

exbrnxgrl

http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/melatonin

This is from the Memorial Sloan Kettering web site. Note the warning to consult a doctor if you are ER+. Hadn't read that before.

Caryn

luv_gardening

Caryn, I've never heard of that either.  This is the single case study they link to.  Rather weak evidence.

Menopause. 2008 Mar-Apr;15(2):388-92.
Endocrine regulation of the course of menopause by oral melatonin: first case report.
Diaz BL, Llaneza PC.ource

Departamento de Biologia Funcional, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain. beatrizd@uniovi.es
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:

The pineal gland, through its hormone melatonin, is involved in the mechanisms that regulate the aging process involved in the onset of menopause. Considering the melatonin changes reported during pre-, peri-, and postmenopause, an influence of melatonin on the hormonal changes associated with menopause transition could be expected.
DESIGN:

We report the first longitudinal case study, covering a 7.5-year period, on the effects of melatonin administration on the reproductive hormones luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and 17[beta]-estradiol during that period of the reproductive life.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:

The data obtained in this case report show that melatonin administration was able to delay the characteristic endocrine changes that occur during the course of menopause.

PMID: 17993994 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

exbrnxgrl

Thanks, Joy. I've just taken my melatonin and am off to bed. I won't worry about the ER+ thing too much Caryn

sugarlandIDC

Thanks everyone.  I'm off to get my new supplies - want to feel like I'm doing all that I can.  If you know of a good holistic practioner in the Houston area, let me know.  Thanks

Momine

Sugarland, sorry about your dx and welcome to the rollercoaster.



I would advise you to make sure you get some exercise. It will help both your mental and physical state now and during treatment.



Cut alcohol, if you drink, to 3 drinks or less a week.



Try to limit really junky food and white carbs/sugar.

candygurl

SugarlandDC,  it's great that you want to be proactive. However, before you go out and buy several supplements, you may want to find a reputable naturopathic oncologist first to help you select the right supplements, detoxification and diet plans, intravenous treatments etc., which fit your body's needs and cancer.  See the "Naturopathic Oncologist" thread in the Complementary Medicine forum.  community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topic/784260. Contact the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians to find a one in Houston. Because like LtotheK said, "one size does not fit all".  What's a perfectly safe supplement or dosage for one sister could be pretty harmful for another. For instance, if you have a severely malfunctioning thyroid, you'll probably need another estrogen metabolizer instead of DIM. It may also interfere with the breakdown of certain drugs in the liver. That could lead to decreased absorption of some medications. And Grape Seed  Extract can enhance certain blood thinners, so be sure to do your research and again speak with a naturopathic physician. 

If you feel comfortable taking Grape Seed Extract, make sure that it has the ActiVin_®  brand on the label because not all grape seed extracts are created equal. We recently discussed the importance of that on the "Early Stage Natural Girls" thread. 

In the meantime, if I were you I'd get started on and a strict anti-cancer/alkaline diet and start taking vitamin D3 yesterday. That's if you haven't done so already.  Maintaining optimal levels (60-85 ng/ml) is extremely important for women with breast cancer. WATCH  www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhV-2IhsQns.

Last but not least, assuming that you don't have any heart related medical conditions, another thing you may want to do is read the "News on Baking Soda" thread in the Alternative Forum and use the Baking Soda & Maple syrup protocol. There is some exciting research being done about that. And be sure to read "Hope99's" post. Like you, she felt the need to start doing something while waiting. The simple recipe seems to be working nicely for her.

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Hope99 wrote: I wonder if this works on the surrounding tissue first.  Days after using baking soda I felt my breast and the tissue around the tumor was soft.  Not only that but the tumor edges became more defined and I could finally feel the outline.  For the past two and a half months this breast has been one big swollen hard mass, with a lot of pain.  As I mentioned on a previous post the other day, I've stopped taking the pain killers since using the baking soda.

There is a bit of pain right after I use it, but for the rest of the day and night, it's relief.  I don't want to say that the tumor has shrunk yet, but I wish I had started earlier because I'm due for my first bout of chemo this week.  I'm curious to know if there would have been any further changes.

I started using it because they were taking so long to get me into chemo that I felt as if I had to try something to help myself, thus Googled it last week.  I'm due for my scans this week so I hope that I don't light up like a Christmas tree, lol."

z

Edited for typos.

MsBliss

While I was waiting to meet with the first doctor/surgeon after my initial biopsy, I went to see an ND who could start me on Iscador immediately.  There were several reasons for this:  1)  I did not have a clue as to what to do, and I had to do SOMETHING; 2)  I was headed for additional invasive procedures in and around the tumor, and I wanted to at least think I was doing something that might impede any scattering of the tumor cells which could happen from the needle core biopsy strikes or any further surgery; 3)  I felt anything that boosted certain sectors of my immune system while I was waiting couldn't hurt.

I stayed on Iscador for one year.  I  never used the last vial.  Somehow, I knew that it had done it's job and I was through with it. I remain on a lifestyle and supplement protocol which I hope is doing the job.  Supplement wise, it is important to have the guidance of a pro, or at least do your own research and have plenty of questions for your integrative oncologist, because every case is different.

Zuvart,  I watched the youtube video on Vitamin D that you posted.  Notice the date? 2008!  FOUR YEARS later and I still meet breast cancer patients who have not been advised by their oncologists about the importance of Vitamin D, to get their levels tested, or to take supplement D3.  I even met a woman who's oncologist told her to STOP taking D3.  I do not say this lightly, but I think it is a form of negligence to ignore this important supplement.