Alternative / Complementary Strategy List

Options
Husband11
Husband11 Member Posts: 2,264
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

There is so much information on the numerous threads in this forum, and some that no doubt get burried and resurfaces from time to time.  You ladies are such a wealth of information.  For the sake of organization and easy searching,  I would be very interested to see a list of promising strategies you believe have merit.

 I will start out with a somewhat short list of what I've gathered, and not in any particular order:

1. Diet of cruciferous vegetables and supplemenation with DIM / I3C

2. Vitamin D testing and supplementation

3. Iodine supplementation

4. Melatonin

5. Mushrooms, in particular Maitake, and the standardized extract Maitake D Fraction

6. Exercise

7.  Minimizing body fat

8. Tocotrienols

9. IP3 and inositol

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited April 2009

     Good Ideal to have a quick check for other to learn more about what we've learned.

    COQ10, curcumin, milk thistle, flex seed, choline, grape seed extract(resveratol), Beta Glucan 1,3, L-Glutaine, R-Lipoic Acid

    Modified citrus Pectin, Green tea, Omega3, Quercetin, Bcomplex, selenium, cinnamon, calcium,D3, Reishi Mushrooms, Iodoral

    Get your stomach in order with good enzymes. Learn about hydrochloric acid in your stomach. If your stomach can not break down food or supplements correctly, you will be wasting your time taking them.

    Lean about how to detox your liver, gallbladder and colon. (chemo leave metals in the body)

    I will continue to update as I think of more.

    Flalady

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Joytotheworld
    Joytotheworld Member Posts: 42
    edited April 2009

    Along with some of the strategies already posted here is what I am doing:

    1.  Dry skin brushing

    2.  Alternating hot and cold water during showers

    3.  Saunas

    4.  Ground flax seeds and flax seed oil

    5.  Floressence

    6.  Meditation and visual imaging

    7.  Breast & lymphatic massage

    Joy

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • baywatcher
    baywatcher Member Posts: 532
    edited April 2009

    1. plant based whole grain diet (vegan) no meat or dairy

    2. walking often

    3 minimizing body fat

    4. oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts and flax seed most mornings

    5. B12 vitamin every day

    I don't have a juicer or a vitamix machine but t think it would be wise to do a juice or smoothie

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Iza
    Iza Member Posts: 117
    edited April 2009

     A complete, balanced diet with lots of pesticide-free fruits and vegetables and also good-quality (small-farm raised, pastured, humanely treated) meat, dairy, and eggs.

    Reduce processed food to close to zero.

    Buy (good-quality) ingredients, not prepared foods, much less fake food products.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • phoenixrising
    phoenixrising Member Posts: 139
    edited April 2009

    Floressence contains red clover, perhaps you meant Essiac.?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • marejo
    marejo Member Posts: 1,356
    edited April 2009

    a "healthy pinch" of brocco sprouts daily or drink 2 cups of Brassica Tea with SGS daily.  Also, turmeric is another good supplement.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fairy49
    fairy49 Member Posts: 1,245
    edited April 2009

    Can someone tell me what brocco sprouts are?

    Thanks!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • marejo
    marejo Member Posts: 1,356
    edited April 2009

    "Fairy" the best way for you to get the best understanding of brocco sprouts and brassica tea with SGS (SGS is what's found in broccoli BUT it's highest concentration is in the sprouts or baby broccoli)  Anway, go to brassicatea.com and read about it.  Johns Hopkins is the hospital that did the research on this and found it's benefits to be high.  Johns Hopkins even have a patent on the tea. Also, Lillie Shockney, who heads the "ask the expert" page at Johns Hopkins online always talks about the benefits of brocco sprouts.

    Hope this is helpful.

    Mary Jo

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eldub
    Eldub Member Posts: 276
    edited April 2009

    Surgeon told me that recent research on bc showed that just these changes in diet reduce recurrence risk by almost 1/3: 

    Greatly reduce/eliminate saturated fat from animal sources (meat, milk products, eggs).

    Avoid all transfat.

    She said the other main thing was exercise - minimum of 3 hours a week of aerobic exercise cuts recurrence rate by about 40%.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fairy49
    fairy49 Member Posts: 1,245
    edited April 2009

    Thanks Mary Jo!

    Lorraine

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lisasayers
    lisasayers Member Posts: 850
    edited April 2009

    http://www.brassica.com/sci/sci.htm

    Lorraine, I try to eat brocco sprouts daily, there was a study done that showed 1 oz a day would be beneficial...looking for that study now!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • AccidentalTourist
    AccidentalTourist Member Posts: 365
    edited April 2009

    Avoid dairy and using plastics whenever possible.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited April 2009

    Has anyone tried growing their own sprouts? I really want to get into this. The nutrients in sprouts are much more compounded than in full grown plants.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lisasayers
    lisasayers Member Posts: 850
    edited April 2009

    http://www.sprouts-as-medicine.com/broccoli.html

    http://www.broccosprouts.com/sprouts/story.htm

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • kamla
    kamla Member Posts: 11
    edited May 2009

     This is a very informative thread.Thanks to all partcipating in it.

     I do not know how to check about hydrochloric acid in my stomach neither do I know how to detox my liver,gallbladder and colon.Kindly some advise on this.I am getting Texol,Herceptin and aredia and loosing lot of hair.Any natural remedy for hair fall?

                                   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited May 2009

    Kamla, If you are interested in complementary therapies through treatments, you might want to check out what Dr. Block has to say. http://www.blockmd.com/integrativecare.html

    He also has a new book out that may answer your questions. As far as a detox goes, you really should check this out with a doctor who believes in it. It might be better to wait until you finish treatments before you detox. That is what I did. Juicing , good nutrtion and exercise are all great ways to get through treatments better. I found reading about good health really helped me and made me feel proactive and optimistic in a time when I was such a mess emotionally. It really helped me to believe that I was not going to let cancer get to me and that I would get through it. It put me on the road to recovery and then to natural health. All my best to you!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2009

    Good morning.  I have finished chemo and will be starting rads within the month.  I want to get my body healthy and strong again and the health food store owner recommended Flor-Essence.  Has anyone heard of this - good, bad, or what it supposedly does?  He said I would drink it's tea every night, for about 10 days or so, it helps to slowly detox the body.  Before I start this, given my type of bc, ER/PR+, HER2-, I want to make sure I am not doing something that is detrimental.

    Thank you!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 7timewinner
    7timewinner Member Posts: 183
    edited May 2009

    Hi, Chelev

    I use Flor-Essence...and have used it throughout my treatment with TC, no problems. My onc knows about it, and has cleared its use.

    I work with a naturopath, and she recommended its use. I think the best and easiest way for you to learn more about it is to Google "Rene Caisse," since the original recipe for this tea was hers.

    As always, clear it with your own doc first :)

    Cheers,

    Nadine

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2009

    Thanks - and I will check with the doctor.  It was confusing, because some of the info was positive towards it's use, and some of it, including some research published on some of the cancer sites, said it is useful in all cancers but breast cancer, where it could encourage cancer cells to grow.  I will continue to research and will also ask them.

    thanks again!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited May 2009

    Anyone who is estrogen positive might want to read this from the national cancer institute before using  Flor Essence.  What caught my attention was that red clover was in the ingredients and my nutritionist warned me that it elicits an estrogen response.

    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/essiac/patient/23.cdr#Section_23

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 7timewinner
    7timewinner Member Posts: 183
    edited May 2009

    Good info to know...thanks Chelev and Merilee! I'll look into it, too, esp. since I am ER+.

    Nadine

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fairy49
    fairy49 Member Posts: 1,245
    edited May 2009

    Hi! I hope everyone is having a great day! I was reading this article and just had to post it, I really enjoyed it, Its long, but I hope you have time to read it!

     http://www.tahoma-clinic.com/estrogen2.shtml

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • phoenixrising
    phoenixrising Member Posts: 139
    edited May 2009

    It's unfortunate that Essiac and FlorEssence is used interchangeably, even by health professionals.  The original recipe given for breast cancer was the essiac.  Only 4 ingredients.  FlorEssence contains 8 herbs and one that was added was red clover which is a no no for breast cancer. 

    The one to get has Rene's face on the box and contains a warning of some sort to ensure you are getting the original formula.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • luckofthedraw
    luckofthedraw Member Posts: 53
    edited May 2009

    Great list!  My ND said no red clover too.  Oregano is supposed to be good too. It's easy enough to add to steamed veggies, etc.

    I do have one question for those of you who do no eggs/meat/dairy:  HOW do you get enough protein?  I don't do soy, due to conflicting information on estrogen effects, and don't really care about meat.  So that's no loss.  But I am relying heavily on eggs to get protein.  I've managed to trace my BC back to adrenal/thyroid malfunctions.  Large amounts of protein are needed to correct adrenal failure, in order to have balanced horomones, in order to not get/spread BC.  So how do you get  enough protein? 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • soapsnug
    soapsnug Member Posts: 65
    edited May 2009

    Hi Luckofthedraw,

    I don't eat any meat and have very little dairy.  Once in a while I eat eggs.  I totally stay away from soy.  I get protein from peanuts/peanut butter, beans, nuts, and seeds.  Plus there's also protein in grains (quinoa is actually a great source of protein, and so is brown rice) and veggies, so I never worry about getting enough protein--with a varied diet, I think that the average vegetarian will get more than he/she needs.  It sounds like you might need more protein than the average person, though, because of your adrenal/thyroid issues.  There are books out there which discuss protein complementation, which is the process of combining plant protein sources to achieve a better amino acid balance than either food has on its own.  For example, eating peanut butter on whole wheat bread gives a complete protein.  I read Diet for a Small Planet, by Francis Moore Lappe, many years ago, and I remember a discussion of protein complementation in that book.  I'm sure many other books contain the same type of information.  Here's a website I came across which might be useful for you (the information that's presented is largely based on the writing of Francis Moore Lappe): http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/compprot.htm.  Best of luck.

    Audrey 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • luckofthedraw
    luckofthedraw Member Posts: 53
    edited May 2009

    Audrey, thanks.  I'll have to check out that book.  I have given up peanuts.  I read somewhere that funguses in corn, peanuts, and grains have been implicated in some cancers.  (Chemo fog...can't remember where).  But I do eat almond butter, so will try that on whole wheat bread. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited May 2009

    Has anyone here been told to stay away from flaxseed?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WLL
    WLL Member Posts: 96
    edited May 2009

    My oncologist said it is okay to take flax seed and wheat germ.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Husband11
    Husband11 Member Posts: 2,264
    edited May 2009

    The dietician they had at an information seminar put on by Cancercare Manitoba told my wife that flax seed should be avoided if you are ER+.  I'm not saying she has her facts right or wrong, I'm in no position to argue with her, but that is what she said.  A lot of what they say is speculation and out of an abundance of caution.  The contradictory views on soy, flax, and hormones in general are extremely frustrating to say the least.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anondenet
    anondenet Member Posts: 715
    edited May 2009

    >

    The contradictory views can be resolved 99% of the time by asking the view-giver to show you her evidence. If she can't point you you to authoritative evidence in writing, the recommendation is probably 100% hearsay that has been circulated so long it becomes belief.

    Welcome to Planet Cancer.

    <

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories