What foods are you eating to reduce recurrence?

NineTwelve

Since my diagnosis I replaced the half n' half in my coffee with coconut milk (full fat, from a can). I also add coconut milk (a couple of tablespoons) to my oatmeal, along with 1/2 a cup of blueberries and some flax seeds. I stopped eating canned soups, and got the powdered dehydrated soup mixes from the health food store's bulk bins (mine sells a curry lentil mix, a black bean mix, and a split pea that I like). These have simple ingredients and the advantage of not being in contact with BPA lined cans, which I try to avoid. I just add boiling water and let sit for five minutes. Then I add some olive oil and a crushed clove of garlic, and sometimes a half teaspoon of turmeric.

My goal is to go completely dairy free, and cut meat, alcohol, and sugared treats to about once a week. I have added more vegetables and fruits to my diet, but I want to increase the proportion of produce even more. Oh, and I'd like to learn to cook beans from scratch. I know it can't be that hard - just takes some pre-planning.

I also bought a Nutribullet for making green smoothies, but so far, everything I've made has been slimy, thick and disgusting. I bought several smoothie recipe books, so I hope to find something eventually that isn't a penance to drink.

Momine

Nine Twelve, cooking beans from scratch is very easy.

If you want to make curry/lentil soup at home, without the mix, get small, red lentils. They do not need to be pre-soaked and they cook in 20-30 minutes. Quarter an onion, chuck in a few cloves of garlic, the lentils, water, salt and curry to taste. Boil until done, then run a stick blender through it, or run it through a food processor. It freezes well too.

For actual beans that need soaking, put them in a large pot of water. Bring them to a boil. Turn off heat and let them sit for one hour. Drain, add fresh water, salt and a bay leaf and boil until they are tender. Depending on the kind of beans, this can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Check them every so often.

I often soak and boil 2 pounds of chickpeas or beans on a Sunday, then freeze them in portion sizes. It makes it very fast to make a soup with beans. It is also cheaper than buying canned and they taste better.

scvmom65

I agree with getting your blood tested before you start supplementing. I live in so cal and get a lot of sunshine plus I have been supplementing with a bone formula vitamin that had d3 and k in it for years before I got bc. My onco put me on supplemental d3 before testing me and I felt awful! Insomnia and just yucky. It was a once a week pill and after a few weeks I starting putting it together that when I took the pill I felt horrible and by the time right before I had to take another one, I felt better. So I stopped taking them and told him to test my d levels and they were already in the high normal range! So now we test whenever he does my blood work and it has always been in the high normal by what I am doing.

Cee67

Fourminor, On Jan 15 of this year, I went from peri to full-blown meno with symptoms as you describe - 3-4 severe hot flashes per hour and sleeping on bath towels to soak up the sweat. Well, I wasn't really sleeping...just laying in damp towels trying to sleep.

I was using cannabis oil and stopped it cold turkey - I shouldn't have done that. It sent me right in to meno. Exactly a month later I ended up in the ER for severe pain for another issue. When I got home, no more hot flashes and no more night sweats. It's eerie but I seem to have shocked my body in to and out of a severe menopause phase.

Knowing that magnesium seems to help hot flashes gives me something to try if those symptoms come back, but, does it cause diarrhea? About 3 mos after my Dx I got a chronic case of it - that was last August and it's still here. I think it's nerves as I'm an anxious person.

I would like to take magnesium but worry it will exacerbate my problem.

I just saw a naturopath for the first time last week and she put me on a number of supplements, but we never discussed magnesium. She knows about my GI issues though so perhaps that's why.

lala1

Karz72---Try Gaia Turmeric. My holistic breast doc put me on that along with ginger for my wicked joint/muscle pain from Tamoxifen. Helped tremendously.

Karz72

Thanks Lala1, I'll look out for it.

DianaNM

I am gluten intolerant and have had borderline blood sugar. Also very sensitive to corn, though I can eat a little non-gmo popcorn. I make sure it is popped in a healthy fat, sometimes make my own.

Really try to only add/subtract one thing at a time so I can see how I react. I have been working on adding probiotics for a while, now mostly with sauerkraut. I have a jar of kimchi in my fridge, haven't worked up the nerve to try it yet. Recently added a little chaga tea every day. Doesn't seem to upset anything, so will keep it up.

I have RA, so try really hard to control inflammation with a good diet. Right now I'm good, but recently have had a flare up in my hip. Yesterday was considering going to the ortho to ask about surgery, but today it's ok! Wish I could keep it that way. It went away entirely when I started taking gelatin, but now it's back. Will try upping my turmeric I guess.

Figure if there's pain, I'm doing something that is not good for me. Kind of like taking temperature. I started walking on my treadmill about 3 months ago, 45 minutes 3-4 times a week. That's about how long a one hour show on Hulu lasts! So now I'm fighting off plantar fasciitis. So far I'm winning, lots of stretching after.

yoga_girl

CuraMed - mfgr Terry Naturally (curcumin) quality grade of turmeric
BCM-95

Joint Inflammation: Curcumin

Estrogen Receptors: Curcumin (suppresses molecular signals)

Curcumin suppresses activity of at least 5 categories of molecular signals that promote inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis, and are implicated in many cancers. See below.

Molecular Target Inhibited by Curcumin	Pathologic Effect
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)	Destroys joint cartilage and other tissues
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)	Promotes excessive blood vessel growth in inflamed joints and in cancers
Human Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)	Promotes growth and activity of cells involved in joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis32 and in many cancers
Estrogen Receptors	Promote growth of many breast cancers; also decrease effectiveness of drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis33
Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB)	Potent inducer of the inflammatory cascade by activating the genes responsible for producing inflammatory compounds

http://www.lef.org/magazine/2012/8/safely-manage-joint-inflammation/page-01 - read the full article

lala1

yoga_girl---that was a really good article but I have a question....can you help me understand the difference between curcumin and turmeric? I underdstand that curcumin is extracted from turmeric but do they work the same? I take turmeric which has helped greatly with my joint pain but I was wondering if curcumin is basically the same thing. Based on this article, I'm trying to figure out if I should be taking one over the other or both. Or is taking both redundant? Do you know if one has side effects the other might not? TIA.

yoga_girl

lala1

article by Andrew Weil, M.D.

Turmeric vs. Curcumin

In addition to its use as a culinary spice, turmeric has been used traditionally in India as a disinfectant and treatment for laryngitis, bronchitis, and diabetes. Turmeric is derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of the plant Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. It is responsible for the yellow color of Indian curry and American mustard. Curcumin, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is the most active constituent of turmeric.

Population studies have shown that elderly villagers in India appear to have the lowest rate of Alzheimer's disease in the world, and researchers have speculated that the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin may be partly responsible. (Alzheimer's begins as an inflammatory process in the brain, and Indians eat turmeric with almost every meal). So far, however, I've seen no evidence of benefit from curcumin supplementation in Alzheimer's patients.

Other studies of turmeric and curcumin have shown the following benefits:

• 1. Turmeric extract worked as well as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee in a study published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
• 2. Laboratory studies suggest that curcumin acts as a weak phytoestrogen and seems to have cancer protective effects.
• 3. Lab studies have also shown that curcumin induces programmed death of colon cancer cells, and clinical trials are investigating the use of curcumin in treatment of colon cancer.
• 4. Curcumin suppresses microinflammation in the GI tract associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

I frequently recommend turmeric supplements, and I believe whole turmeric is more effective than isolated curcumin for inflammatory disorders, including arthritis, tendonitis, and autoimmune conditions. Take 400 to 600 milligrams of turmeric extracts (available in tablets or capsules) three times per day or as directed on the product label. Look for products standardized for 95% curcuminoids. Neither curcumin nor turmeric taken orally is well absorbed unless taken with black pepper or piperine, a constituent of black pepper responsible for its pungency. When shopping for supplements, make sure that the one you choose contains black pepper extract or piperine. (If you're cooking with turmeric, be sure to add some black pepper to the food.). Be patient when taking turmeric supplements: the full benefits may not be apparent for eight weeks.

Don't use turmeric if you have gallstones or bile duct dysfunction. Pregnant women shouldn't use it without their doctors' approval. In rare cases, extended use can cause stomach upset or heartburn. (Note that piperine can slow the elimination of some prescription drugs including phenytoin [Dilantin], propranolol [Inderal], and theophylline. Some evidence also suggests that curcumin can interfere with a chemotherapy agent used to treat breast cancer, so if you're being treated for this disease, be sure to discuss the advisability of taking curcumin with your physician.

 

lala1

So basically curcumin and turmeric are the same but it's recommended to take turmeric supplement as opposed to a curcumin supplement. Seems that way you're getting the full benefits. Correct? And by "chemotherapy agent", is that meaning Tamoxifen?

Trvler

Correct me if I am wrong, but Tamoxifen isn't chemo?

gemini4

Lala, I'm pretty sure Dr Weil is talking about the big-guns chemo and not tamoxifen.

Trvler, I've seen discussions about this -- on a literal level, tamoxifen might be considered "chemotherapy" because it's a drug used to fight cancer. But I think when the term is used, it rarely means hormone therapy. But I could be wrong. ;-)

juneping

I am taking tamoxifen and its referred as hormonal therapy

bc101

Yes, Tamoxifen is considered hormonal therapy. Totally different from chemo.

Trvler

That's what I thought but I don't want to say something wrong and spread wrong info to anyone.

Trvler

I would also say the majority of women at least that are not in stage IV are taking some form of hormone blocker compared to a much smaller percentage doing chemo?

bc101

It all depends if the tumor is hormone-receptor-positive:

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/wha...

Some women elect not to do hormone therapy, either because of the side effects or for other personal reasons. But yes, I think it would be safe to say that most women with ER + and / or PR + tumors are prescribed hormonal therapy. Women with metastatic or Stage IV cancer also take hormonal therapy to help slow the growth of their cancer.

Trvler

No, maybe I didn't say that right. I didn't mean stage iv people don't take blockers. I meant that, it appears to me that the majority of stage 1, 2 and 3 are hormone +. I just can't comment on 4 because I don't go in that area much. Does that make sense?

bc101

Oh okay, I gotcha. Yes, that makes sense.

Trvler

BC: Just out of curiosity, you had one + node and a 5 cm tumor. Did they want you to do chemo and you opted not to or they didn't want you to do it?

Trvler

Forgive me if you have already told me. It is hard to keep everyone straight sometimes.

bc101

That's okay. I don't mind sharing.

I was never offered chemo. Because my tumor was ER and PR+ they said that chemo would not be effective, so that was eliminated right out of the gate. I also had a low Oncotype score. One MO said that for cases like mine, hormonal therapy is much more powerful than chemo. So, I'm glad I didn't have to go through that. My one micromet was found during the SNB and no further involvement was found during the BMX. Again, no chemo was offered. And I had two RO's say that the risks of rads outweigh the benefits. I got off easy, but it doesn't always feel that way. This whole thing is a crap shoot

bc101

Also, I did neoadjuvant hormonal therapy to try to shrink the tumor. It didn't shrink as much as it imploded, so my BS couldn't get clear margins during the lumpectomies. The pathology from my BMX showed my ki-67 score was 0.05% and shrunken nests of tumor cells were present, but showed that the AIs kicked its butt big time.

Trvler

That's great, BC! Thanks for sharing that.

pipers_dream

@JohnSmith, poster about benefits of olive oil--you may want to look into eating the leaves! LOL, this is about a supplement called Olive Leaf Extract. From

Life Extension Foundation:

"Oleuropein and olive leaf extracts have numerous other mechanisms of action against cancer:

• They help prevent inflammation, another major promoter of tumor growth.41
• In breast cancer cells specifically, oleuropein reduces malignant cells' ability to respond to estrogen, the female hormone that many breast cancer cells depend on for their survival.43
• Oleuropein inhibits the production of the "protein-melting" enzymes that cancer cells need in order to invade healthy tissues and metastasize to distant parts of the body.19

These mechanisms have now been shown in laboratory and animal studies to reduce the rates of occurrence, and subsequent development, of a broad variety of cancers, including those of the brain, head and neck, breast, liver, bladder, prostate, and skin, as well as leukemia.42,43,45-49

In one especially vivid study, mice with a high spontaneous cancer rate were orally supplemented with oleuropein.5 The tumors completely regressed and disappeared in 9 to 12 days.5 When the tumors were examined before they vanished, they were found to have a disordered, crumbly consistency, and no cancer cells remained alive within.5"

labelle

Matcha organic green tea powder. One cup is supposed to have all the benefits of 10 cups of regular green tea. Too bad it smells like grass clippings and tastes pretty much like what I imagine grass clippings would taste, I add a generous amount of stevia and coconut milk to make it ALMOST palatable. The bag came with a free e-recipe book but most the recipes have sugar and/or gluten, both of which I avoid. Anyone else try this stuff and figure out how to make it not taste like grass clipping? It really is supposed to be very good for us, but geez!

leggo

Lawn clippings, LOL! If you're ok with almond milk, this isn't horribly barf-inducing.

1 cup of blueberries

1 cup of ice

1 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

3 teaspoons of matcha

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Trvler

Thank you so much for the laugh on the grass clippings. I think we can use all the laughs we can get.

Penzance

Cee67: try Magnesium taurate and malate. They are expensive but do not have laxative effects and they are better absorbed, so work better on PMS and muscle cramps, in smaller doses. The much cheaper Mg oxide, which is the one you usually find at the supermarket, has laxative properties: in fact, it is used by some people as a remedy against constipation!

Momine: have just finished 'White Pure Deadly' by John Yudkin, about sugar. His work has been rediscovered by Robert Lustig. See link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/die... From studies Prof Yudkin ran on human volunteers, it appeared that some people (about 1/3 of the population in the west) have a much lower tolerance to sucrose than others: for them, the stuff was best avoided altogether. I think this might be my case, as I find I suffer ill effects (fog brain, sugar crashes, cravings, weight gain etc.) very rapidly if I indulge ever so slightly: whenever I've moved to the UK (from mainland Europe) I have always put on weight in the first months (as much as 8 kilos, i.e. going from 56 to 64 kilos), as the diet is so different, much more grain based (bread, pies, pastries, biscuits etc.) I ate my first pizza (the supermarket variety, at around £1.50) ever at age 15, during a holiday here! After a couple of years, I also got cavities, and ended up losing 2 teeth, so am now back to my 'boring' diet of vegs, fish and meat: much cheaper than all these visits to the dentist!