Alternative Treatments Testimonies Only.
Comments
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It would be nice to have a thread that is design to share alternative treatments that has worked for you. Testimonies Only.
Let us know how you are doing? Feeling? Healing?
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Great idea! Bump!
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SherriG, Thank you so much. Before my bc surgeries my cholesterol was normal. After recent blood test it was 284, mostly due to my recently dx hypothyroid. I'm average weight for my height. Where do you purchase Red Yeast Rice? This is all new to me.
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Lyzine Plus, or Super Lyzine has really helped my immune system. I teach, and I'm around kids...and can't afford to miss work. When I feel like I'm coming down with something I take around four Lyzine Plus tablets three times a day. Taking it once is usually enough. In the last five years I've had one minor cold, and I haven't had the flue. I do not take flu shots. Most of my friends are taking Lyzine and have found the same results.
You can purchase it at your local nutritional store. I purchase mine at a local supermarket.
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The top ten alternatives that helped me to survive bc:
1. Prayer
2. Faith
3. Meditation
4. Love
5.Friendship
6. Good eating
7. Exercise
8. Reading(especially health books)
9. Supplements
10. ALL OF THE ABOVE!!
All the things that traditional medicine cannot measure, nor can they explain!
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No doubt: this is going to be one of the most interesting threads around here
And yes, SherriG, I have heard about Red Yeast Rice. I understand that this one brand below is also one of the very best ones:
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Re Red Yeast Rice:
Health Canada issued a warning about this supplement, stating that it contains lovastatin, and should only be taken under the guidance of a physician because of its possible se's.
So the situation is this: should I take it to lower my cholesterol (and pay for it out of pocket) or should I continue taking Crestor (which contains rosuvastatin - a similar statin) which my insurance pays for?
I think we sometimes believe that supplements are better, or more "natural". Not sure this is the case with Red Yeast Rice.....
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Interesting that you should note Red Yeast Rice as my husband's cardiologist (my husband's father has heart failure so they watch my husband for heart issues though except for cholesterol he is fine) just this week suggested that my husband take Red Yeast Rice for the reduction of his cholesterol because my husband was not interested in being put on pharmacuticals for a "borderline high" cholesterol.. I don't know yet if it works but it must do something if a cardiologist if recommending it to his patients.. Good luck!
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SherriG, I'm not a doctor or a n.d...so I couldn't tell you for sure. I do know from a recent blood work up that my immune system is good. There are people who use it everyday to aid their immune system.... I only use it when I feel as if I'm about to get sick. It's natural, and as far as I know, can't hurt.
The last few days I've been researching the Red Yeast Rice. From what I read you can't purchase the real deal in the U.S. Statin is the U.S. version of it, and with it are side affects.
After what I learned, not everyone should be taking Red yeast Rice. I need to talk with my naturapathtic doctor before ordering it over the internet.
Side affects...is it could cause liver damage...my question, does the natural Red Rice Yeast damage the liver or is it the symthetic produced in the U.S.?
I would take it in a heart beat if I knew it was right for me. I take vitamin B-12 shots once a week, which has helped me. Vitamin B-12 is stored in the liver. So I wonder if I have a slight liver problem.
Second question...is the YEAST part of the Red Rice Yeast... My daughter brought us the yeast question. She said that women tend to have yeast problems, and wondered if this would increase it...especially in regard to the possibly yeast connection and breast cancer.
It would be heaven sent if it would help my cholesterol problem.
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I had a 6cm lump removed from my right breast on Oct. 4 2007. My entire breast was one big mass though. On Oct 4, I completely changed my diet. no more processed foods, no meat no dairy, just fruits and vegetables. I looked up cancer fighting foods on the internet, a site called the cancer tutor (cancertutor.com) , and foods that cause cancer. Took all of the info and decided to take control. On Oct 10, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage IV inflamatory ductal carcenoma. When I told my doc what I was doing as far as diet, he said "eat whatever you want"...My common sense told me to ignore him...I began an alternative treatment called the Amazon Protocol, added cats claw & Pau d'Arco caps and tea, ground flax, wheatgrass, spirulina, etc...organic, organic, organic...It is proven that organic foods are by far the better choice as the nutrients have not been depleted. Our bodies do not digest animal protein easily, so I stay away from meat. I have mets to the bone, so Dairy is out, as the energy our bodies uses to digest calcium from animals depletes other nutrients. And it sucks! I love cheese....BUT...My docs are scratching their heads. I am rapidly healing. I was told I was going to have to have a masectomy. They said there was no way to shrink the mass in my breast...It's GONE. My doc now says no masectomy. She walks through the chemo room and just smiles at me and shakes her head... My tumor markers are at 17. I am on Herceptin and taxol once a week, and I feel fabulous. I don't know what is working, I am doing so much, but I think that the positive effects of taking charge of my future, with regard to my diet and fighting this thing, (whether my thoughts on meat and dairy are right or wrong) I believe are working. I believe diet is HUGE, It's hard, but it's our lives! I asked about Antioxidants. My chemo nurse and others have told me that antioxicants in regular doses are ok...it's the mega-dosing that interferes with the chemo. Man this makes my head swim. I just want to be done with this by summer...I have plans! ( I wrote that around April 07) Today I am stable as hell, I feel great. The Amazon Protocol strengthened and protected my immune system. My bloodwork has always come back nearly perfect, markers are at 15. I do Herceptin every three weeks, in addition to the Alternative. I will no doubt beat this thing.
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Nixie, I am crying tears of joy for you. You are an inspiration to us all. If only doctors would see food as medicine too! I cannot tell you how you have made my day! The problem with traditional medicine is that made me feel so helpless. By taking control of life, I felt so empowered.
Would love to hear all about your wonderful summer plans! Keep the faith!
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You rock nixiechaos! What a great testimonial! I was also told I could eat whatever I wanted at the time of dx. At the time, I had a popeye's habit. Love their onion rings and spicy chicken. Now I'm changing my food one ingredient at a time. I started with high fructose corn syrup and began avoiding it 3+ years ago. Looking back, I just can't fathom how ANY doctor could say it's ok to eat whatever I want. My city hasn't won the dubious distinction yet of being the fattest city in america, but I think we top the charts with rates of diabetes. Even my neighbor who had bypass surgery was never told to change anything about his diet, and he's a hardcore meat and potatoes guy.
I'm definitely looking into the amazon protocol. There's so much conflicting information about food, it's hard to decide what information is credible. Even the raw food people have a wide vareity of approaches.
editing to add ps to nixie, was the second dx 3 days after surgery or a year and 3 days after? Your signature line says 08.
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Nixiechaos-
I am sooo happy for you!! I believe you have found the answer to wellness. Food is medicine. I just attended several lectures by T. Colin Campbell (author of "The China Study") and Dr. Neal Barnard ("Food for Life") and learned that excess protein (over 10%) is a cancer promoter. It is proven! People just don't want to hear it or if they do, the Cattleman and Dairy Association don't want it known. If you haven't read the books I have mentioned above, I highly recommend them. It sounds like you also have a great attitude. With your healthy eating and positive attitude I know you will beat this. Good for you.
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Welcome Nixiechaos,
I so happy you told your story. It speaks of what I try to tell other. That is you can do things to improve you health even with cancer. You give me hope that I still have many years with stage IV. My big thing is if you can maintain health all these years with cancer just think what I person can do with prevention doing many of the same things.
Thank you for your post and hope you continue to empower others to take charge of their health.
Flalady
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Nixie and Fla Lady, Thank you both again, for continuing to inspire the rest of us. You are what this sisterhood is all about. I know that I would not be on this road to good health if not for women like you and others who continue to help me to learn about all the things we can do to get and stay healthy. I read last week that alternatives will soon be part of regular treatments for bc and that within 10 years, even stage IV cancers will be treated as a chronic disease and not as a death sentence. It is pioneers like you both who are changing the way main stream medicine looks at this demon. You are saving more than your own life, you are saving all of ours too. You are a Godsend to us all.
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Well Girls, I just bought a horse...He's 8 months old...hmmm I think it's what?... a twenty (plus) year committment??? I plan to be there for all of it. Also auditioning for a play next week. Hell, I'll die of exhaustion before this stupid cancer gets me! Thanks so much for your great thoughts!
Althea...Woopsie boops! It was 07. "Chemo brain". How long can I use that excuse? (I have an eight year old ...I still try to get by with the baby weight thing...)
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I have been taking Omega 3 for a long time. Two capsules at 1200 mg. each. Recently I have added one more per day. Then I was reading the ingredients, to see what kind of fish is in these. I would prefer ' salmon' instead of the anchovies and sardines. Anyway I was unpleasantly surprised so see it also contained SOY which is a no-no. What kinds do you all use and how many mg per day do you ingest?? Anyone use the ones that contain salmon and are without soy?
Thanks, Artsee
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Hi Artsee, good to see you again, in this troll free zone (fingers crossed). I too take 2-3 caps of omega 3 per day, and I think it really protected my skin during rads. (my radiologist said it was okay). I like to change brands of supplements each time, and that is a good suggestion to check for soy, which is used in everything it seems, as a binding agent. Try finding chocolate without the stuff!. I am currently using a Natrol brand called Omega 3 complex. It is a combo of fish oil, flax oil, and borage oil(400 mg each). It does not contain soy, yeast,dairy, sugar or artificial colors and is USP verified, which I try to look for. I know we have had the great flax debate many times, but I feel this is one thing that is okay in small amounts.
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LOL vivre..."Try finding chocolate without the stuff" I try to do that for my little girl...it is in everything!
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O.K. that's it for chocolate for me...damn! Never look long enough to see what's in chocolate. The arm moves way too fast putting it in my mouth.
Thanks Vivre...I certainly have been looking on the Omega 3 ingredients.
Has anyone heard of the 'Rexall' brand, with Salmon? Some people have steered me to it but have yet to find it.
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Prior to my breast cancer diagnosis last October, I was a junk food eating, completely out of shape 58 year old. Since that time, I've turned my lifestyle around 180 degrees. With the help of a wonderful naturopathic doctor who runs a breast cancer recovery program, I have embarked on quite a remarkable journey.
My diet now consists of very healthy choices and daily doses of things like pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, flax seed oil, green tea, etc. The list of supplements I take is: Modified Citrus Pectin, Flor-Essence, Vitamin D, Complete Calcium (which includes magnesium and other minerals as well as calcium), an Omega 3 supplement called Nutra Sea (which is made from the fish oils of sardines and anchovies but does not contain any soy), and Melatonin.
The other things my naturopath has me doing are alternating hot and cold showers, saunas, aquafit classes (in a saltwater pool), dry skin brushing, and yoga.
I guess the big question is: how well is all this workiing? Well, there's no way to be sure exactly what this is doing in terms of the prevention of a recurrence but I can say what this has done for my overall health. I'm feeling better than I ever have in my life before. It's been a little over two months since I started on this protocol and, in that time, I've lost 21 pounds so far (I've still got a long way to go to reach my optimum healthy weight.) My family physician saw me very recently for my yearly physical and, as part of that, did a complete blood and urinary work-up. When the lab results came back, both she and I were amazed at the results. She told me that all of my blood levels were textbook perfect - everything from hemoglobin to cholesterol to blood sugar to thyroid levels and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, my prior yearly physicals have not resulted in such positive lab results in a very, very long time.
This has been my first experience using a naturopathic doctor and alternative medical treatments and so far I'm exceptionally impressed.
Joy
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Joy,
Thanks for sharing. I know these changes were not easy, but the pay off is big as you have learned. It also amazed me how fast the body can change with these simple changes. The hard part is just getting started and understanding why we need to make changes.
Flalady
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Yeah, Julie, I cannot give up on chocolate. I could mainline the stuff! I have been able to bypass cookies,cakes, ice cream, etc., but I have to have one vice. It IS antioxidant after all. It is just so hard to find anything without soy. I guess I just need to follow Artsee and eat it so fast, I do not have time to look at the label. LOL!
Joy to the World, all the boys and girls. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, Joy to you and me! Love that song! It always makes me happy because it reminds me of my first real boyfriend. What a hunk! Now everytime I see your name, it will bring back memories. Glad you are with us Joy. What is Flor-essence? I too believe in farinfared saunas, so much so that I have decided to market them! The dry heat is great for detoxing and there is some evidence that raising the heat will kill cancer cells. Canadian doctors seem to be freer to offer alternatives. I wonder if our docs will ever be allowed to follow suit without fear of litigation?
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Flor Essence is described on the bottle as an herbal blend and it contains: filtered water, burdock root, sheep sorrel herb, slippery elm bark, watercress herb, Turkish rhubarb root, kelp, blessed thistle herb, red clover blossom, and citric acid.
As for Canadian medical doctors being freer to offer alternatives, although legally they certainly are more able to without fear of litigation, most of them still do not. I do think that some of our family physicians are becoming more open to alternatives but the specialists such as the oncologists are still deathly against using alternative therapies - leastwise the ones I saw were. I changed family physicians so that I could find one who was more open-minded and was fortunate enough to find one who is the medical director of a "wellness center." At her center, there are medical doctors on staff but they also have a dietitian, a naturopathic doctor, a chiropracter, a psychotherapist, a massage therapist and an accupuncturist.
Joy
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Nixieschaos, can you point me to information on the Amazon Protocol, please? I searched around a bit, but only found references about it and nothing specific.
Thanks!
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Hi Sher
you can find it on nutranomics.com ,,,Actually, you will find the phone number to call them. Amazon protocol consists of four supplements, one of which is the Amazon Factor, which is specifically for cancer. They have nurses or the founder, Tracy who will talk to you before you order. They will also send some info and disclaimers...Stupid pharmaceutical companies and the FDA make life hard for companies like Nutranomics. So worth it, though!
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Hi ladies.....Artsee....I have Rexall's Salmon Oil in my arsenal and it's not bad. I've graduated to Krill Oil recently which is loaded but still do the Salmon oil along with some EPA/DHA. I used Flor essence tea after my dx and it really helped me sleep. I use it a few times a year for my "tune up and cleanse". I would highly recommend a book called the "Anti Estrogen Diet" by Ori Heflekner (sp). I've been on it since August and the first thing it did was deflate the tire I was carrying around thanks to the three years of hormonals. I do a lot of supplements and an organic vegan diet with some wild caught fish added. This diet allows meat and chicken in the latter phases. I also wanted to throw something out there that I've been looking into and thinking about doing. It's been used in the UK for years as Avemar. In the states it's called Ave. They have studies on it and the studies show that it increases the effects of Tamoxifen. Check out the website......it's actually fermented wheat germ extract. It's pricey but you only take it for a few months then stop.....then pick it up again. Oh yeah....before I forget.....two weeks after I stopped Arimidex my cholesterol dropped 85 pts!.....Oh, and one more thing.....the best thing I have ever done for myself is learn Qigong and practice it everyday. It's simple once you get the moves down......I can't say enough about the healing powers of Qigong.............Jo
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Thanks nixieschaos! No wonder I couldn't find it - was looking for a book or written plan of some sort. I'll check it out.
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While I was using FlorEssence to detox after chemo/herceptin I found this information at NCI (and also found a lot of the same information including the 2004 rat results on several alternative medicine sites also).
Have any preclinical (laboratory or animal) studies been conducted using Essiac or Flor•Essence?
Research in a laboratory or using animals is done to find out if a drug, procedure, or treatment is likely to be useful in humans. Animal tumor models are used to learn how a cancer may progress and to test new treatments. These preclinical studies are done before any testing in humans is begun. The following laboratory and animal studies of Essiac have been reported:
- In the mid 1970s, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City tested dried and liquid samples of Essiac in 8 experiments involving the S-180 mouse sarcoma tumor model (a type of animal model used to study treatment). Researchers found that Essiac did not make the immune system more active and did not act as an anticancer drug.
- In the early 1980s, researchers at MSKCC tested Essiac again. They found no anticancer activity after doing 17 studies that used a variety of animal leukemia models and other tumor models.
- In 1983, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) tested a liquid sample of Essiac in the mouse P388 lymphocytic leukemia tumor system but found no anticancer activity. Very high doses of Essiac killed the test animals. Scientists, however, do not know how this finding applies to people who take more than the maker's recommended doses of Essiac.
- In 2004, a laboratory study at Indiana University-Purdue University reported that Essiac slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Studies of Flor•Essence have shown differing results:
Two laboratory studies reported that FlorEssence made tumor cells grow.
Another laboratory study reported that high doses of both Flor Essence and Essiac herbal teas reduced the growth of cancer cells.
A 2004 animal study of Flor Essence found that it increased breast tumor growth in rats.
Laboratory and animal studies have reported on the effects of some of the chemicals found in the different herbs used to make Essiac and Flor•Essence. These studies report that certain chemicals may:
Prevent cell damage that can lead to cancer.- Reduce swelling, redness, and pain.
- Have an effect on the body similar to the hormone estrogen.
- Kill cancer cells.
It is not known if taking Essiac and Flor•Essence products can give humans enough of the chemicals that produce these effects.
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Rene Caisse, the Canadian nurse for whom Essiac is named, had several anecdotal successes with her formula (which was given to her by a native Canadian -- we call them "First Nations" here in Canada). When she died, she left the list of ingredients, but not the recipe which included the proportions of the herbs and wild flora. Many studies were conducted using various proportions, but none were considered of any value. The studies, by reputable researchers, were conducted at the behest of the Ontario government, following an outcry by cancer sufferers and their families who begged the government to investigate.
I have no doubt that her formula actually did work for some types of cancer in some individuals but, without the actual formula, all else is guesswork.
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