Diet and multiple diagnosis

AccidentalTourist
AccidentalTourist Member Posts: 365
edited June 2014 in Second or Third Breast Cancer

I hope you don't mind me posting here as I am in midst of my first bc treatment.  I have read a book called 'Your life in your hands' by Professor Jane Plant.  I have mentioned it so many times in this forum I am beginning to sound as her publilsher which assure you is not the case.  I have, however, been impressed with the author's arugments about importance of diet as cure and prevention of recurrences.  Ms Plant has had five recurrences until she changed her diet following which there were none.  She made numerious changes to her lifestyle as well as diet but the most notable one was that she stopped using all dairy products (including organic and low fat ones).  I guess I was wondering whether anone was on vegan diet or at least dairy free diet and still had recurrences.  I wish you all the very best Nena H

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited September 2008

    I wish they knew the answer to what causes bc or prevents recurrence.  If diet really was the answer, I can't imagine it would be kept from the medical profession...but maybe I am niave.

    I know Asian countries do not consume a lot of dairy and though their BC rates are lower than ours, they still have it.  If dairy were the culprit, they should have almost no BC.

    If the train of thought is that dairy prevents BC, then meat with hormones would also be an implicator.

    I have read studies that some women are born without an enzyme that can metabolize galactose (which is the second sugar component of milk) and it builds up and irritates ovaries (thus higher ovarian cancer rates), but no "standard of care" checks for this enzymatic problem routinely that I know of.

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  • KKing
    KKing Member Posts: 425
    edited September 2008

     NenaH

    I will get this book.. if this woman has survived so much she must have some great information.

    Thank  you

    Karen

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  • Nichola
    Nichola Member Posts: 402
    edited September 2008

    Hi Nenah

    I'm not a vegan, but I think my story might interest you.

    I am one of 7 (yes 7) sisters.  Both my sister who is a 35 year pescarian and I, who is a 20 year vegetarian are the only girls to have BC. (All other sisters are meat eaters, with indulgent diets).  I cannot talk for my sister, but I was convinced that my BC started when I gave up smoking and rewarded myself choc bars and glasses of milk!.... There is also the theory that my sister and I, being veggies, would automatically eat more cheese...?  However, I still had a recurrence 10 months ago, years after I had assumed and maintained a low (eggs once every 2 months or so, small amounts of cheese a couple of times a week and skimmed milk only, in 2 cups of tea per day...!

    I think the important thing here is to remember that a "recurrence" is actually "left behind" cancer, and a dodgy diet can expedite or perhaps trigger cancer cells forming.

    Unfortunately, my bad luck is that I eat extremely healthily (loads of anti oxidant veg/fruit) and I am no overweight, but since my recurrence, I have been literally plagued with health problems!

    All the best

    Nikki 

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  • mcgaffey
    mcgaffey Member Posts: 241
    edited September 2008

    I am seriously considering stopping milk in my coffee and replacing it with something like rice milk but I think I can go black. Now, my yogurt and cottage cheese. Hmmmmm. I don't trust the diary industry where I live.

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  • mason204
    mason204 Member Posts: 570
    edited September 2008

    I have been lactose intolerant for over 20 years and am now on my 3rd recurrance of breast cancer.  Go figure!

    Cheryl in Toronto

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  • AccidentalTourist
    AccidentalTourist Member Posts: 365
    edited September 2008

    Thank you all for your responses.  While Jane Plant's argument is that dairy products are the main culprit (and she is quite adamant that no slippage here is allowed) she also blames other factors such as hormones in meat, water (which she filters and then boils before drinking) and pollutants.  Hers is a really fascinating story.  She originally went down the conventional,, medical route and when, after the fifth occurrence her cancer had spread, and she was given only months to live she figured she had nothing to lose if she tries other things.  She is a geologist and was involved in research with Chinese scientists.  She noticed that there is low incidence of breast cancer in rural China (this is now changing in more urban areas where Westernised diet, pollution are becoming a norm).  Apparently after six weeks after she made the changes to her diet her cancer was gone.  Now I would normally be skeptical about such claims but she is a Professor at Imperial College London which is a prestigious scientific institution.  The only thing that I found off putting is her constant reference to her website for which she charges £30 ($60) a year subscription.  I think that she is earning enough money selling her books and that charging people to use her website (and forum like this in particular) strikes me as greedy.

    Interestingly Prof Plant said that, while she has never carreid out proper randomised clinical experiments all people who she knows have stuck to her advice have not had reccurrences apart from one.  She was puzzled as to why that one person had a recurrence and when she questioned her it transpired that she could not give up yogurt.

    Having said all this Mason204, you have been lactose intolerant for over 20 years.  That presumably means that you have not had any dairy products during that time. Do you by any chance eat beef (particularly minced beef).? I wish we could involve Jane Plant in this discussion but I refuse to pay to use her website.

    Best wishes

    Nena

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