Did chemo with integrative medicine wound up doing much less

supercw

Aloha this is my first post (!!!!) hello hello. I've been reading and reading through and wanted to share this first as I think it might help someone just starting their chemo.

My doctor prescribed me 4 drugs - the first round would be Abraxane and Carboplatin. The second round would be a gnarlier couple drugs but after two infusions my oncologist could feel the tumor in my left breast getting smaller but a few cm each week. I eventually went down to just Abraxane, a smaller dose and didn't have to do the second round of chemo.

I told her that I was combining the chemo with some therapies my Naturopathic Doctor was administering.

-Ascorbic Acid (High Dose Vitamin C) this is given via IV and really helped me with the toxic side effects of the chemo. I never got that metallic taste in my mouth or felt too sick for very long. I felt strong and healthy getting this IV every week a day before chemo. It also actually helps kill off the cancer cells for some people, depending on what type of cancer.
(ref)
http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM1985011731...

-Turkey Tail mushroom supplement
(ref) http://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b...,1b1b20957ef5c8f4,210d57c00e88b78c.html

-Artesunate which is used to treat malaria that has had groundbreaking results killing metastatic breast cancer
(ref)
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anne_Hamacher...

-Plant based diet (OR IN VERY LEAST cut out all processed foods, refined sugar, high fructose, artificial sweeteners)
(ref)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...

-This is actually everything I did
(ref)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U0AGT8zf81Az_Ql7pAp_9u_bb3HNoshEgYVbaw0yXh0/edit

I hope this can maybe help someone starting treatment - try look for a Naturopath/MD or ND in your area and give them a call. They have really great options to compliment your treatment and help with the side effects. It might not work for everyone but it definitely did for me.

Looking forward to making friends who understand what this is like. I see there are so many of you. I'm trying to not be intimidated ) I'm still kind of a n00b - diagnosed a year ago today. Still alive! Chee! September 10th 2015 and March 28 2016 scans PET/CT/MRI showed no disease. May 23 2016 scan showed three new spots on liver and speckles all over my lungs, 40 liesons on the brain =/ I'm on week three of three for whole brain radiation and have had my ovaries removed on 7/8/2016 combined with hormone therapy.

Thank you, Christa

My TEDX talk: Snapchat Cancer Flow:

pipers_dream

Great thread. I haven't done chemo but I remembered reading this and you may be interested:

Targeting cancer stem cells with sulforaphane, a dietary component from broccoli and broccoli sprouts.

Li Y1, Zhang T.

Abstract

Many studies have supported the protective effects of broccoli and broccoli sprouts against cancer. The chemopreventive properties of sulforaphane, which is derived from the principal glucosinolate of broccoli and broccoli sprouts, have been extensively studied. Recent research into the effects of sulforaphane on cancer stem cells (CSCs) has drawn lots of interest. CSCs are suggested to be responsible for initiating and maintaining cancer, and to contribute to recurrence and drug resistance. A number of studies have indicated that sulforaphane may target CSCs in different types of cancer through modulation of NF-κB, SHH, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Combination therapy with sulforaphane and chemotherapy in preclinical settings has shown promising results. In this article, we focus on the effects of sulforaphane on CSCs and self-renewal pathways, as well as giving a brief review of recent human studies using broccoli sprout preparations.

AnnKat

Hi supercw,

My mom will receive her first round of chemo this Wednesday and I'm looking for confirmation that taking supplements during chemo will help relieve some chemo side effects while NOT interfering with the effectiveness of the chemo drug. My mom was diagnosed a month ago and since then she's been juicing fresh vegetables and fruits, ginger and turmeric extracts, and Beta Glucan supplement. My mom's oncologist said taking Beta Glucan supplement during chemo is okay but my mom's surgeon said she shouldn't take any supplement as it might interfere with treatment. I don't know which way to go on this but I'm hoping that taking supplement and juicing will help alleviate some bad chemo side effects. However, I don't want my mom's treatment to be unsuccessful or not as successful due to drug interference between supplements and chemo drugs. My mom will be on AC first and then Taxol.

MelissaDallas

In general most oncologists tell you not to take supplememts during chemo.

Another thing to consider, glucose metabolism seems to be tied to cancer. Juicing can be a huge dose of carbohydrates with no fiber and fats to slow down the big blood sugar bump.

AnnKat

Thank you MelissaDallas.

Fallleaves

Hi AnnKat,

I'm with MelissaDallas that you want to be careful not to get glucose spikes, so maybe you should switch your Mom to smoothies which will have more fiber, with some fat from avocado or nut butters to reduce any glucose spike. I've read that chemo can cause insulin resistance in some patients, so it's probably good to not contribute to that. (http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/69/24_Su...)

As far as beta-glucans are concerned, I would go with the oncologist's opinion. Chemotherapy can depress white blood cell counts and the immune system, and beta-glucans can help counter that.

Effect of beta glucan on white blood cell counts and serum levels of IL-4 and IL-12 in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

In both groups white blood cell counts decreased after 21 days of the intervention, however in the beta glucan group, WBC was less decreased non significantly than the placebo group. At the end of the study, the change in the serum level of IL-4 in the beta glucan group in comparison with the placebo group was statistically significant (p=0.001). The serum level of IL-12 in the beta glucan group statistically increased (p=0.03) and comparison between two groups at the end of the study was significant after adjusting for baseline values and covariates (p=0.007).

The findings suggest that beta glucan can be useful as a complementary or adjuvant therapy and immunomodulary agent in breast cancer patients in combination with cancer therapies, but further studies are needed for confirmation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25081694
(Ostradrahimi, 2014)

Jennie93

AnnKat, you may want to look into fasting during chemo. It increases the effectiveness while decreasing side effects. I did it and found it was not at all difficult (nothing tasted good anyway). There's a thread on here somewhere, let me try to find it.

Jennie93

Here it is:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...