How does one Aproach Onco about Alternative threatment

I am not certain you need to ask your oncologist about alternative therapies.  They are experts in what they do.... treat us with chemicals!  Their education does not cover alternative therapies, unfortunately.  You (we) as women , usually have quite intuitive minds, if we would just listen to our inner being.  Trust that the information you need will come to you and you will feel at peace with it.  If you don't feel at peace with any particular therapy, then, perhaps it isn't right for you.

Do lots of research... there is an abundance of information out there.  Check out kelp and iodine, though because, Kelp basically is iodine.  I would check out Lugol's iodine and read about that.  Also, do you have any thyroid issues.... I do and I am finding an abundance of info regarding a thryoid/bc connection.   Actually, my oncologist happens to be a person I knew for 6 years in a different environment b4 needing her expertise and the first thing she said was she thought there was a connection to my thyroid!

Again, just go with you heart and pray about it.  It will and can happen. 

I have a friend who had stage 2 b/c (non invasive), had surgery, and then refused any traditional therapy and went holistic.  That was 10 years ago and she is healed.  If you are interested in any of the things she did, I will be happy to share with you.  I am certainly planning to follow her footsteps.  I, however, had invasive with cancer in the lymph nodes, so I am comfortable using the expert oncologist to rid my body of that b4 surgery and than taking over from there.

God's Love, Healing Powers, Grace and Wealth flow to us in avalances of abundance!

Pam,i did mention coq10 to my med onc. he said I don't know anything about it...but my breast care surgeon seems to have heard it all and when  I mention to him the things I have found out about alternative, he just gets this big grin on his face....but he too emphasizes traditional main stream medicine.

Carol it is good to hear about your friend...I'd be interested in the route and alternatives she uses. my sister went through chemo d/t lymph involvement...but has not used hormonals...but supplements alternatives.

Thanks

Deja,

You can just tell them what your plan is. They usually are not informed about alternatives-- or claim they aren't because it would damage their reputation.

My friend's was told by her onc: "Don't ask, don't tell."

I have found Sloan Kettering's database and some of the others to be inaccurate, biased and cherry-picking.

I just looked at the sites and their news articles section was old and not recently updated.  I also had difficulty finding the section about alternative treatment on a site.  I guess maybe because I was looking for information about supplements, food and diet and not about meditation.

 What and where is the best way to find a good physician for alternative medicine?  I know they advertise the Cancer Center of America but unless you were a patient there you cannot use their other facilities, i.e., post chemo treatment support regarding diet etc.

My friend lost her sister to b/c 20 years ago and also lost her father to cancer.  She told herself that if it ever happened to her, she would "find another way".

When she was diagnosed, she did have surgery, and then met with an oncologist, who she says talked to her as though she didn't have long for this earth.  No tests, or scans were ordered, just the plan of tx.  She then got 2 other opinions b4 doing anything.  She did end up in a major cancer tx center and had another surgery for clear margins, but then declined any further treatment.  They offered her nutritional and alternative suggestions as well as a spiritual advisor....then she went from there!

She listened to many tapes, (Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, etc. anyone who spoke to her heart).  She had Reiki, massage, did yoga, took and deleted supplements as recommended by an iradologist and an intuitive healer, as well as what  the cancer center suggested, based on her blood work. (Our bodies change and need different supplements, as our cells change).   She did sweat camps, and talking circles, read The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron, & You Can Heal Your Body, by Louise Hay.... had counseling, became a 90% vegetarian.  Currently she takes 2 different Blue Green Algae Supplements which she gets from Simplexity Health.  She also takes a bone builder, called bone up, vitamin E; She eats ground flax seed, and still does retreats.

It is now 10 years and she is still cancer free!!

Sounds doable, right?

Linda,  May I ask.... if your insurance pays for your blood work as ordered by the chiropractor?

 I know that my insurance will pay for chiropractic, where as I don't think most insurance will pay for any other holistic approaches that I know of. 

 Also, I borrowed a book from the library, called Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Dr. Patrick Quillin.  It is worth checking out.  He is a former VP of one of the major Cancer Treatment Centers.  He covers nutrition as well as supplements... and he doesn't "sell" them!   In most instances he will suggest 3 possible sources.  He even uses a star approach to prioritize what to start with.

I wish more people would participate in the holistic area of this site!

Thanks for your input.

Deanna, while I agree with you completely that we need to beware of all the "miracle" cures out there, prevention is a totally different thing. You are lucky that your doctors use an integrated approach. Mine did not. My hospital is all about profit and there is no profit in prevention. Since my treatments are over, I wanted some guidance in making sure it did not come back, and my doctors just kinda shrugged and said, we think your best bet is to take this drug. When I said I did not want to, they pretty much said adios. So I am very happy that I found a doctor who is helping me. Yes, Carol, my insurance covers the blood test. I have a huge deductible which I passed long ago, thanks to radiation, so I figure I am going to do everything I can the rest of the year to get my system in order.

Deanna, I know it is rotten that you tried to do everything right and still got BC. Even with a proper diet and exercise, our hormones can get the best of us at times. I just read a book called Micro Miracles that says, we all have cancerous cells in us and when our immune systems are compromised, it allows these cells to grow. You might try to find the book because it talks a lot about the power of enzymes in helping chemo patients and I find it makes a lot of sense when it talks about how we might not be getting the right nutrients, even when we eat well, because our body chemistry may not be processing digestive enzymes correctly.

I hope you get through your treatments as well as possible.

Deanna,

I understand your thoughts and respect your decision as well.  You see, since my cancer is in my lymph nodes, I also am using traditional therapy and surgery.  However, in addition, I will use a holistic approach, beleiving that it is indeed affected by the immune system.  

 My goal is to strengthen my immune system, so it can seek out any stray cancer cells and destroy them as it is supposed to do.  I also found a book by Dr. Patrick Quillin, a former VP of a major cancer treatment center, who explains all of this in detail. He doesn't sell any supplements, even rates them in importance if money is an issue.  

Linda, he also talks about the enzymes as well.  Please tell me who the book is by that you are talking about.

I did mention Quillin to my oncologist and she had heard of him and approved of his concept.  She knows me personally, and said she thought for "me" less is more!  (Meaning, the less the medical team does, the better for me.)

Of course, I am almost finished with chemo, which yes, I did due to the lymphs, and then I will have surgery.  I am not going forward with my head in the sand, rather, I feel I am  taking the "best" of what is available, to my knowledge.

Any information we share with each other is appreciated.  I wish all of us to have a healthy future!  If I learn one thing from another b/c sister.... it isappreciated!

Peace and Blessings,

Carol The book is called "Micro Miracles, Discover the healing power of Enzymes", by Ellen W. Cutler, Dr with Jeremy E Kaslow, MD. The book was printed in '05 and cites lots of studies, so I have faith that it is well researched, not just opinions. It really gets technical but I found it to be a great read.

When I was told that I had cancer, my primary doctor told me that I should not do so much reading, I should just listen to my onc. and do what she says. I have a lot of respect for her, but she knows that I read a lot about my health concerns, so her advice really upset me. I am an avid reader, and while I know that books can be dangerous when we try to diagnose ourselves, without the help of modern medicine, I also know that doctors can't know it all, and they do not have the time to get to know each of us personally, and cannot possibly understand what goes on in our heads. All I know is that all the books I have read have helped me to understand my cancer, come to terms with it, and find a way to good health. I feel better now than I have in years and I know it is because I am educating myself on what it takes to be healthy. During the Olympics, they did a story on Chinese medicine and their combination of modern and ancient treatments. I hope that our system will someday do the same. Nonetheless, when (or if)I finally get around to going back to my onc, I will be armed with my own statistical proof ( blood tests, thermograph, etc) that good health can be obtained with diet and exercise, and not always with a pill.

I think it is great that many brave women here realize, that you do not have to choose either [conventional medicine] or [alternative medicine]. Combine whatever you think works best, and beware of anyone [conventional OR alternative] who claims something like, "this is the only way to go."

Unfortunately we do not yet have THE answer to BC. None of the existing solutions are perfect. With all due criticism to drug companies or charlatans, I think the majority of available treatments and cures DO work, at least to some extent, for some people. Take advantage of whatever's right for you. Do everything you think might work.

I'd like to recommend two books: the first is called Anticancer, by David Servan-Schreiber. I think it is already available in English [we read the French version a month ago].

The second is the China Study, by Campbell and Campbell.

Both are good reads. They're very detailed nutritional guides for anyone who wants to protect herself from BC, and be health in general.

May you all be healthy, well, and happy!

Chuck

I have read with much interest all of the holistic approaches women have taken.  However, I haven't read that any of you are taking Graviola.  I first learned of this from Dr. Russell Baylock's link on Newsmax.com.  He sells an email newsletter but occasionally he will write a full article on a product.  I found Graviola at Vitamin City in liquid form using a dropper.  I began taking this early in the year. (2008)  A dropper full in my black/no sugar coffee.  After a routine mammogram in May, I was recalled for another mammogram.  At that point I increased the dose of Graviola to several times a day.  I was diagnosed in July with bc.  The ultra-sound indicated two tumors;  one in the breast and one in the armpit.  The core biopsy indicated Stage 1 in the breast and benign in the armpit.  I had surgery to remove the tumor in the breast and the doc took a sample of the node in the armpit which was benign.

 All of this being said, I will never know if Graviola is the reason I was stage 1 in the breast and benign in the armpit.  Maybe if I had been taking more doses during the day of Graviola, my breast tumor may have been benign also.  

There are several websites on Graviola and studies that have been done.  detailshere.com/graviola is one.  Good luck to all the alternatives you have chosen.

I'm so glad to read everyone's input on this topic.  I'm finishing 6 rounds of chemo tomorrow, so I've "done the work" as far as that goes, but I'm fervently looking for good info with which to arm myself against my onc. pushing Tamoxifen down my throat.  So far, iodine and vitamin D are the main things I plan to go with--one Iodoral tablet and 2000 iu of Vit. D.  However, I strongly suspect that the onc. will not give a fig about this and I may end up not going back to her after I reject the Tamox.  (I already declined to be in a study regarding the chemo, so I guess I failed to bring in that extra money for the office!)  I'm a little stumped about finding the right kind of doctor who will work with me on this--the different titles:  holistic, naturopath, chiropractic, etc.....  In any case, I still have another mastectomy ahead of me whenever my surgeon says I'm ready post-chemo (my choice, nothing was found in this one but I'm taking the target away), so I'm not turning my back totally on traditional drs, but I believe God did put things here for us to heal ourselves with and why not investigate?  That being said, I also believe a lot of cancer is caused by things we've created ourselves to scum up our environment, but that's another topic.

Have a great day everyone~