Is anyone doing the alternative treatments and had any success

rodeogirl

hi i was just wondering if anyone has been doing juicing and diet and ahs it helped

Mzmerz

You might try asking this on the Alternative thread.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/121

Moderators

Hi! Thank you Mzmerz. We just moved the thread here, to the Alternative Medicine forum. 

rodeogirl, we hope you'll get here the information and support you're seeking.

Best, 

the Mods

pipers_dream

It's too soon for me to claim success but I don't think it's a fail.  I've opted out of all conventional tx, incl surgery and have been to a holistic doc and had many holistic type treatments and feel and look better than I have in years but the tumor is still there--it's not shrunk but not grown either.  It does seem to be softening but that could just as easily be due to fibrous tissues shrinking from around it.  Also, doc has me on anti-fungal tx now and I'm noticing some very positive changes from that but not necessarily in just the tumor.  I've had 6 straight mornings where I have gotten up out of bed and not had to blow my nose repeatedly--it used to be the way I started the day.  I do have hopes this will make a diff.  

rodeogirl

Thank you piper, I know the net is full of overhyped info but there seems to be some genuine info in regards to the benefits of healthy diet especially in regards to powerful foods with healing and cell strength benefit. Also there seems to be plenty of info regarding chemo and the pro's and cons especially in regards to the big money machine it generates for those at the top. I'm Not saying that it doesnt shrink cancer or remove some types, but also in other cases it can strengthen some cancer cells, which in turn become more resiliant to treatment. I think we all need to get healthy and strengthen out bodies so the cancer finds it harder grow.

pipers_dream

Yes rodeogirl, you're right and that would be true whatever treatment method you choose.  If you do choose chemo, I've heard that it's good to take sulforaphane along with it and that will kill the stem cells too.  Also, many people have much better results with chemo if they do a complete fast just before and during the session--many report fewer side effects.  Supposedly, fasting strengthens your normal cells but weakens cancer cells--it's like exercise for your cells.  But I think that's the opposite of what docs usually tell you to do.   

I'm going to tell you something though--on here I am reluctant to talk about "the big money machine."  For one thing, many of the women reading here have chosen conventional therapies for the most part and all of us would like to believe that we chose well.  For another, it changes nothing--you should choose the treatment plan that you are most comfortable with and that you feel will yield the best results.  Me?  I knew that I was completely out of balance and so I felt that holistic had a good chance to work for me.  If I'd already been thin, fit, and healthy and then got cancer I probably would have gone with conventional methods.  The nice thing is that we have a choice and I don't want to attack others' choices.  

Sunflower23

I chose not to have chemo. I have triple negative breast cancer. I did op for mastectomy with nodes negative . I have change my lifestyle and diet. Have a lot of energy. My Oncologist support my decision and I will follow up every 6 months. I also went to a Naturalpathic doctor and on lots of supplements to support my immune system. I feel great with my decision. 

sqrlsc

I have been diagnosed with Stage 2 triple negative breast cancer.  My oncologist wants to do the harshest chemotherapy prior to surgery and follow-up with radiation if lymph node involvement found.  I have been working with an integrative medical expert and have been on high dose supplements to boost my immune system while awaiting test results, etc.   I am choosing not to have chemotherapy.  I am considering doing IPT though instead.  Has anyone tried this with any success?  I would do the IPT before surgery or I could just choose to have the surgery.  I feel I have nothing to lose by trying IPT.  It makes more sense to me.  My mother is a breast cancer survivor for 50 years and only had a mastectomy and at that time they removed the lymph nodes as well.  She is alive and healthy for 50 years!

BrooksideVT

I'd never heard of IPT, so I googled it, and found it under the American Cancer Society's website.  Have you read their page there?  It does sound interesting, as I know one of the more intriguing areas of current research has to do with circulating blood insulin.  Considering that long term study results are still in the future, and I'm not sure there's been any attention in particular to triple negative (which behaves quite differently than other breast cancers),  I agree with Kayb in that scheduled imaging would be a prerequisite for me. 

pipers_dream

Some thoughts about IPT--it sounds like the idea behind it is to get your blood sugar as low as possible so that the chemo drugs don't have to pick thru a high BS to get to the tumor.  But here's the thing--why take this powerful drug when you can do the same thing yourself?  If you are overweight, your BS is probably out of balance so a ketogenic diet would benefit you prior to doing chemo, and then studies have shown that chemo is much more effective while you're fasting.  If you're interested, do a google search on Valter Longo and here's an article--this is just coming out and clinical trials are underway:  Fasting triggers immune system regeneration If you're not overweight, and your BS tends to be low or normal, the fasting will still probably benefit you but maybe not as much--that's just my surmise though.  

placid44

The American Cancer Society website says the following about IPT: "Despite individual reports, there are no published scientific studies available showing that IPT is safe or effective in treating cancer in humans. IPT can cause serious side effects."

Sqrlsc, it is your decision. As a triple negative stage 2 patient, I can tell you that chemo is very, very important for triple negative and I hope you will take your onc's advice. My mother survived late stage ILC, but she was 100 percent hormone positive... Very different from triple negative.

wrenn

I think it is insensitive to scold or lecture someone avoiding chemo on an alternative thread. It is no different than someone practising alternative methods posting on a chemo thread that chemo is bad.

lynn7478

I  am  have stage 4 my Brest cancer is in my clavicle and hip, I also have a slow growing tumor that was is my back and I had surgery to remove it twice it's back and wrapped around my bladder. I did the traditional treatments and they sure haven't helped me as you can see ! I am doing different treatments for about the last three years. I had the new rad . Mastectomys at least that's what I was told ,my tumors were on my chest wall my scars go around the center of my chest to my shoulder blades.the surg .didnt take all of my lymph nodes and two weeks later more lumps ,in lymphs the ones that didn't need removed as I was told! Those were removed,I was told. Reconstruction started I was told I could look normal they started putting spacers in because they couldn't leave  enough skin only enough to close tightly,that took months the spacers broke 5 times in nine months,I was told this happens. Well about a year after my mastectomys they put my implants in saileen I'm pretty sure I spelled that wrong sorry for spelling,thank God I could only have those because of my lupus sle , one ruptured and the other leaked.They were replaced,and by the way they never looked almost even a little normal but I guess if you think a giant scar going around the middle of your chest that makes a big dent in the implants and globs in between them,what a mess! Well after surgery low dose chemo because I had just taken 5 years of methotrexate for my sle lupus also some radiation.Well you can tell how well that all worked for me ,I was given about 6 months at the most 3yrs ago it's day to day but I'm here and doing alternative meds ,vegetarian,and lots of praying,I'm thankfully for every day !

Traveltext

An amazing story Lynn. I would say each to their own and let's not criticise each other's attempts to recover. 

placid44

I posted because I am triple negative and very much wanted to help. I did not scold or lecture. I shared information I read on ACS and that I have learned about triple negative. I would not be offended if someone posted negative information about chemo on a chemo thread. It has its risks and downsides. I have neuropathy and chemopause that affect my QOL. That said, I won't come back to this thread.

wrenn

Placid44, My response to your post was harsher than I intended and for that I apologize. 

Reading your post made me (a triple negative who couldn't have chemo) feel angry because it felt to me as if you were telling her she must obey the oncologist. There have been triple negative people who survive without chemo and on a forum for alternative information I didn't think it was helpful to suggest that she must obey convention. I hope no one tells people who endured chemo that they shouldn't have done it.

becca333

Age 64, Dx 4/07/2014, IDC, Type- Cribriform Tubular, 1cm ,grade1, stage1, ER+95%, PR+90-95%, HER2-, Node egative, OncotypeDX Score 8. 
Surgery: 5/15/2014, Lumpectomy (Right), Clear Margins.

Recommended Treatment:  Radiation Therapy - 25 secessions with 5 secession booster, Hormone Therapy (anastrozole for 5 years)

Therapy chosen, None

After doing extensive researching on both the type of cancer that I had versus the recommended standard treatment given me, I discovered that the treatment recommended for me was the same for patients having stage 2, 3, and 4 ER+,PR+, Her2-, Node Negative cancers. How could that be? I chose not to do radiation or hormone therapy.    Instead I would detox my body by eating right and exercising.  I would find out how I got cancer in the first place. 

What was causing my estrogen and progesterone levels to be so high?  What could I do to naturally lower my estrogen and progesterone?  While researching how I could test my estrogen levels, I came across articles and ads about cancer patients and the importance of testing ones PH levels. The articles explained how cancer grows and thrives in acidic environments and environments low in oxygen, and that cancer CANNOT thrive or grow in alkaline environments or environments high in oxygen. The articles claimed that cancer patients have acidic PH levels.  Was that true, was my PH level acidic like the article had claimed? I rushed to the drug store to buy a package of PH testing strips to check my PH level.  To my surprise I was totally acidic. I immediately began researching on what I needed to do to become alkaline.  While researching, I came across articles about how by taking 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water will immediately bring a persons body into an alkaline PH balance. Better yet, by taking 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water once or twice a day, (depending on how acidic a persons PH level is) will not only prevent a person from getting cancer, but will also prevent those who had or have cancer from their cancer returning.  And even better than that, the article claimed that baking soda also gets rid of cancer tumors within a six week period. 

It was now 5 months after my lumpectomy.  I had started on the baking soda regimen for 3 days.  I noticed a small lump in the same spot that the tumor was removed. Could it be scar tissue or another tumor forming?  To be safe I went to see my family doctor. After examining the lump, my family doctor recommended that I have an ultrasound done. After leaving the doctors office while driving home in the car, I started to second guess myself as to whether or not I did the right thing.  Should I have done the radiation treatment, would that have helped?  And what about the baking soda, it was only day three. Should I immediately rush to make the ultrasound appointment or should wait 5 1/2 weeks to see if the baking soda regimen really worked or not. How would I know if I didn't at least give it a try. So I decided to wait.  As the weeks went by I kept feeling the lump.  Some days it seemed smaller, than others days it seemed to feel the same.  On week five I went in for the ultrasound.  It was on a Thursday. The ultrasound reading came back reporting a suspicious malignant tumor. A mammogram was also done confirming the ultrasound reading. A biopsy was scheduled for the following Tuesday. Over the weekend I kept feeling for the lump. It was there on Thursday, I had taken a picture of the tumor on Thursday from the ultrasound screen with my iphone.  It was now Sunday and I couldn't feel lump.  Was it possible that the tumor could disappear that fast! 

My husband went with me for the biopsy. When my name was called, both myself and my husband were escorted into a sterile operating room where biopsy instruments were lined up neatly ready for the surgery. I was told to put on the famous hospital gown, to relax and not to worry, that the doctor would be in shortly.  Within a few minutes the doctor came in the room. After washing hands, the doctor put warm ultrasound gel on the area of where the lumpectomy tumor was located and began going back and forth over the area to locate the new tumor of which it could not be found. The markers from the lumpectomy were located but nothing else. No tumor, nor scar tissue, no nothing. I couldn't believe it!

Another month and a half has passed and I haven't missed a day of taking 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water.  I couldn't feel any better than do or be any happier than I am.  I am still shocked by the whole thing.  To think that something as little as baking soda can change a persons PH balance from acidic to alkaline, and also dissolve cancer tumors, not to mention prevent cancer tumors from forming. 

I hoping that this information will be of help others.  And I'm wishing everyone the very best no matter what cancer treatment options they choose.

God bless all.

Becca333

optimi

Becca,

I just read your post and I could slap myself. Not too long ago a cousin of mine had forwarded an article describing the benefits of the intake of a tsp of baking soda dissolved water every day. I did it for two days and then got lazy. Now, my cancer is back in my skin and it sounds like I could have prevented the recurrence. But I guess it is not too late. I will re-start drinking the baking soda in water again. How did you measure the pH? Saliva?