Supplements: chart for which to take w/ food vs. without?
Comments
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Vivre,
Yes, I take mag citrate(but not before bedtime as I have reflux and have to take it with food)
Vit. C, that I did not know, great, another one to take regularly
Welga
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Julia: I now believe that taking D3/Magnesium in the evening works like a charm, as Vivre puts it: my sleep quality has improved (and it was good to begin with, so now, I am literally sleeping like a baby). Vivre was referring to the fact that Magnesium "regulates" the body in terms of avoiding constipation, but I have already cured my gastro-intestinal problems, and I had been looking for ways to improve my sleep. Hopefully, that's done, now.
After reading the information that Maddy provided about Calcium, I have removed it from my supplementation.
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Great -- now I need to incorporate all this into the original post up there -- I'm sleepy after taking my magnesium, D3 and progesterone so if anyone else feels like reworking/adding to the list as it stands now, please feel free to!!
Good night, everybody!! -
Oh my gosh this is a brilliant thread! I had to make a spreadsheet with different columns to keep things straight--and I'm still warped and confused.
Away from Food AM and PM,
With Food AM and PM,
Topical creams AM,
Away from Food and other Supps AM and PM,
Before Bed and Sleep....including topical creams.
Modified Citrus Pectin, Avemar, Immpower all have to be taken in complete isolation from food and other supplements.
NAC, ALA, Sam E, Transresveratrol, all have to be taken before food.
If you take NAC, make sure you take it with vitamin C to prevent cysteine stones from forming.
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Dear Nan, I sent an update to Lori last week....I was wondering if you saw it....I can forward a copy to you if you want me to! I know you are both crazy busy so it is no problem to copy you too. Let me know. I love this thread!
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Oh my gosh - what an amazing thread!! I have fallen short of my supplements since I am on Decadron for a month for swelling around some necrotic tissue in my brain and am on my 3rd cycle of xeloda. But, this thread really excites me and I am going back on my D3 at night to help me sleep through this wired decadron phase!
Also, I would love to have recommendations on the IP-6 that is mentioned - I can't wait to place my order - but, would love to hear what you all take!
Thanks for all of this amazing information!
Christina
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Hi, girls... I've added more of what you all contributed on this thread, but it still needs work. Please let me know if you spot something that's incorrect or if you have more to add!
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Yazmin wrote: If indeed, constipation raises breast cancer risk, do you think that other gastro-instestinal problems could also promote cancer in the long run? (I mean, that would sound logical to me, what do you think?)
IMHO this doesn't just apply to cancer but to every type of disease and ailment. From childhood we are told to take care of our stomachs, to eat only what is good, healthy and lawful and to remember that not all things that taste good are good for us. This was a lesson that was lost on me as I grew older and begin eating for taste rather than benefit.
" An Islamic narration states that "The stomach is the home of disease. Diet is the main medicine."
How much truth is in this statement considering my current state of affairs? I am sure that my eating habits contributed to my dx and the first thing I dramatically changed when I was dx'd was my diet. I could go on and on about this. I feel extremely responsible, not guilty but responsible for my current situation and acknowledging the responsibility is empowering.
There are important points of benefit contained in the following paragraphs:
"Digestion is the process of taking in nutrients through the mouth and then refining those elements in the body. When it is said that the stomach is the home of disease, this means that disease arises when this digestion process becomes unbalanced. "Diet is the main medicine" is to be taken mean that we should first use foods themselves to rebalance and rebuild the digestive process. The foods are used as vehicles for conveying certain healing formulas-both herbal and non-physical - to the body.
"The possible exception to this general rule occurs when the body and its organs have been damaged so severely that there remains no regenerative power to rebuild an organ or bodily system. In such cases, surgery or other radical modes might be the treatment of choice. However, if the principles of health are followed throughout life, from earliest childhood onward, one need have no more fear of falling ill than of being struck by lightening,"
Disease Begins in the Gut
Disease takes many different forms, and can manifest in almost an infinite number of pathologies. Regardless, it has now been established by many authorities that virtually all disease manifests within the bowel. Upon thinking about this further, it is not difficult to understand why, as the bowel is an area for elimination, and when elimination does not occur as it should, toxic compounds develop and over time lead to pathologies within the body.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Disease-Begins-in-the-Gut&id=2474632and
Your Gut: The Key To Your Immune System
Besides being important to your mental and emotional health, your digestion actually plays a key role in your natural immunity to diseases. This is because your gut isn't sterile. It's actually an entire ecosystem of bacteria and yeast - some beneficial to you, others toxic.also from the same article:
When the balance of micro-organisms in your gut is out of balance and the "bad bacteria" proliferate, these bad bacteria produce toxins which can weaken your immune response. They also interfere with the proper absorption of nutrients into your blood stream. It is possible to eat a nutrient-rich diet of real foods and still be nutrient deficient because of poor digestive health.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-gut-understanding-the-keys-to-health/
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Maddy, I went to the site you recommended about black seed and read this:
Amazingly Black Seed'schemical composition is very rich and diverse. Aside from its primary ingredient, crystalline nigellone, Black Seedcontains 15 amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, both fixed oils (84% fatty acids, including linolenic, and oleic), and volatile oils, alkaloids, saponin, and crude fiber, as well as minerals such as calcium, iron, sodium and potassium. There are still many components in Black Seed that haven't been identified. But research is going on around the world. *
Did you realize it contains calcium and iron??? Seems like we can't get away from it!
How much of the IP6 do you ladies take???
The strontium that I looked up says to make sure you take calcium with it. Is that necessary???
Does anyone take spirulina???
Patty
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Dear Yazmin,
I cannot locate the articles right now, but I have read that all cancers start in the "gut".
http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/spotlight.cfm?SBN=9780143005223&page=extract
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/jemimastocktoncolumn1.htm/
edited to add 2 links
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Dear Efflorescing, you wrote: "....I am sure that my eating habits contributed to my dx and the first thing I dramatically changed when I was dx'd was my diet."
And Dear Nan, you then wrote this: "....I cannot locate the articles right now, but I have read that all cancers start in the "gut".
You are both making a whole lot of sense to me. I battled digestive problems for 15 years or more before diagnosis. When I say "I battled", I mean I battled with conventional medicine like Axid, Prilosec, Zantac....You name it. I would not want to sound like a broken record, as I have mentioned this before, but I kept getting worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, as they kept switching me from one to the other. Then, I got my diagnosis, and changed my diet 360 degrees overnight. Within a few months, I was 80% better, and now that I have been practicing for 4 years what Patrick Quillin calls "Therapeutic Nutrition" in his best seller: "Beating Cancer with Nutrition", I am completely healed . I am able to eat anything without any stomach upset.
[I also believe that this sudden change in my diet is what allowed me to go WITHOUT ANY SIDE-EFFECT through the appalling, useless, chemotherapy that my first oncologist put me through before I discovered that chemo does nothing for my tumor type].
My digestive problems had gotten to where I was unable to digest ANYTHING at all.
At the time of diagnosis, I had also been "battling" non-stop upper respiratory problems (flus, colds, sinusitis, chest congestions, allergies, etc...). "Battling", here also, with conventional drugs, including allergy shots.
AGAIN, after changing my diet 360 degrees, my upper respiratory misery disappeared. Completely.
I have now been maintaining course for 4 years (with my Therapeutic Nutrition), and I recently found the courage to go for a complete cancer evaluation at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Philadelphia, THANKFULLY an integrative facility [showing that integrative is the only way to the future], and there, I was found not only to be cancer-free, but also to be the best nourished patient they had seen for quite a while, with the best possible prognosis. I repeat: the best possible prognosis.................... They actually SAID it, which is remarkable, when we all know how cautious health professionals usually are when talking about the future.
They did not even bother trying to suggest some SERM, AI, or PARP for me.
Food for thought?
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Yaz, congratulations on your clean slate. You are an inspiration to all of us that we are following you on the right track. I too had some gut issues and my doc kept pushing the prilosec and doing all kinds of tests for my chest pain, which I kept telling her was not organ related, but to no avail. She scanned and stressed the heck out of my heart, and lungs with xrays, scans, pulmary this and that. I finally said no more, and then bingo, I felt the lump. I still have post nasal drip, which I have still not been able to get rid of. I now think it might be related to the mercury from my fillings. I tried doing the NAC detox and had severe reactions in just a few days, so I am going to call my chemist on Monday and get some advice, as well as find a dentist to get this metal out. The last one was great but way to expensive, so I need to shop around.
I remember someone mentioned something about calcium not being good, but I can't remember why. I do not take it but my SIL does and I want to relay the info to her.
Oh, and my compounding pharm has already told me he would be happy to speak at our prevention convention. Maybe I should just ask him to advise us on the proper times and routine for taking supplements?
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To Crunchy Poodle Mama and all the other great girls who are battling this awful BC.: My daughter is 5 years on and struggling with BC - she now has bone mets. She has been taking a herbal mixture (specially prepared for her by a Herbalist) but we've also added other products to her 'regime' but really don't know what we're doing! She has had lots of vitamin products etc.prepared for her by a Cancer Clinic, but there seem to be so many other things she could try.We are in a fog about what to take, when and how. Can anyone help? What is the Black seed oil mentioned? and does anyone take Chlorella or Spirulina? We've also read that sodium bicarbonate taken at bedtime could be beneficial. Thanks for any guidance.
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Faithandhope13, my heart goes out to you and your daughter... I'm so sorry to hear of her bone mets. You're a wonderful Mother to be doing online research for her. Welcome! (Would she be open to joining our forum too?) I do take chlorella and spirulina but in powder form (I dump about a tablespoon each into the spinach/ginger/apple smoothies I make most days), but I only just heard about black seed oil on this thread.
I know all the information is overwhelming... what I am trying to do is focus on eating the best diet I possibly can (very heavy on organic veggies and fruit -- as much of a variety as possible -- as well as nuts and seeds, with some good whole grains and only a limited amount of organic/free-range animal products). Two good supplements to add to that are vitamin D3 and iodine, because it's much harder if not impossible to get those from diet. Others can be added as she determines what her nutrient needs are.
Efflorescing and Nan, great info; thanks for sharing!
Patty, right now I'm taking 800 mg of IP-6, but that's just based on the dosage on the bottle... I need to find out what the right amount to take is for cancer fighting!
Yazmin, that is just wonderful -- and yet it doesn't surprise me. I've had several issues that have plagued me (insomnia, utter lack of energy, etc.) clear up "magically" once I started my anti-cancer diet and lifestyle. My dh (who is LOVING all the organic cancer-fighting meals I've been cooking up) has had his gastrointestinal problems clear up and his sinuses and chronic headaches are SO much better too.
My favorite "side effect" of all is that I can tell (from certain physiological signs that I won't gross you out with
) that I'm getting a lot more FERTILE!!! Of course, I don't want to conceive just yet until I know what my next steps are re: surgery, but I'm hoping this bodes well for being able to have a baby that survives this time!!Vivre, that is a great idea to ask your compounding pharm -- maybe you can show him the "working" version of the list/schedule and get his input on anything that needs to be changed or added? I so wish I could come to your conference to hear him and all the other great speakers you have lined up!!
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Vivre: I am convinced that we, on this website, are on the right track: we understand the urgency of using therapeutic nutrition and supplementation, while investigating evidence-based alternative methods, while at the same time utilizing restrained conventional procedures if and when necessary, to optimize our chances to remain healthy.[By restrained I mean: every time I come across a breast cancer patient at Stage IV and find out that they are putting her through CT Scans, PET Scans, and all kinds of high, high, high dose radiation screening every 3 months, I just want to go and cry.........]
The special blood tests done for me at the Cancer Treatment Center of America revealed, in a very tangible way, everything I have learned here from you all, in terms of diet and supplements. Well! all those discussions "materialized" as I was implementing dietary and supplementation tips, one by one. Truly amazing............Apparently, it all showed up in my blood, making for near-perfect test results.
(they just needed me to increase my potassium level a bit by drinking coconut water more regularly).I was basically sent home with something along these lines: ".....Whatever you are doing, it is working. Keep going....and enjoy your life. Just remember to come back to see us every 6 months for your regular check-up for the next 12 months. Then, once a year will be enough"
And Julia, I can see you couldn't agree more with me.......
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Vivre: the person who provided us with a very comprehensive article on Calcium is Maddy.
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Julia - thanks for your hard work putting this chart together. Great info!
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Dear Yazmin, well done! I am going to use your verbage when I explain my strategy to others. Most people are a bit startled by my going outside of the chemo radiation protocol.
Also, about the coconut water. How do you make it?
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Dear Faith,
I am so glad you are seeking information. You need to get information that is vetted and evidence based. The best place to start is with The Life Extension Foundation at LEF.org. You can access a advisor there, and there are some that specialize in supportive therapies for breast cancer. They have a phone line or you can do it by email. That was where I started after my diagnosis. They told me about some very essential strategies and supplements to start with and kept the list small. For bone mets, your daughter needs to have adequate levels of Vitamin D and K2. Has her level ever been checked? She will need to start on curcumin, probably modified citrus pectin, melatonin, and some immune boosters. This along with diet and lifestyle changes--leafy greens, purple and red veggies, and exercise that is strenuous.
Tell me, what is in the herbal mixture she has been taking? What supps is she taking?
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Hi CrunchyPoodleMama!
Wow, we are on a similar protocol....I bet we are going to the same doctor!
I also take 5 Loxin with meals, green tea and sulforaphane; plus ground flaxseeds. I am thinking of adding tocotrienols, and switching out the Indole 3 and sulforaphanes with a LEF cruciferous blend. I tried making a grid with the supps and schedule, but I am having a hard time separating and combining everything the right way.
Are you using the Avemar Ultra and how many Immpower do you take a day? With the Modified Citrus Pectin, how many doses do you take a day?
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Is it true that we need to avoid iron and that drinking coffee with iron rich foods helps curb the absorption of iron?
If I can't make my room completely dark...is it just as effective to wear an eye mask? I read somewhere that blind women almost never get BC.
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That is very interesting about the blind women. Now I'm afraid the doctors will start wanting to remove our eyeballs along with the boobs!!!!
Patty
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Great one Patty!
Or maybe just make us blind with drops?! -
LOL Patty!
Were we discussing iron here or on the natural girls?? I can never keep it straight.
Here is an article on the dangers of iron:
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml
I have been reading a lot about the toxic effects of iron build up and that being anemic does not necessarily mean you need iron, It may be the total opposite! If you are low on energy, it is probably more related to adrenal fatigue more than anything.
Luna, I use an eyemask. I cannot believe how much better it helps me to sleep. In fact, I made them for all the women in my family for Christmas!
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Patty, so sorry to hear about your daughter's wreck. I'm glad she is okay. So scary. Been there with my kids, too. Whenever I pass a bad wreck, I mentally try to account for where all my kids are and if I don't know, I call them to check. Only two of them living in my town right now, so it is getting easier.
I'm still trying to read all the posts I missed during Christmas, so I'm behind on knowing what's been going on.
My best to all of you and whatever has been going on that I missed.
May we all continue to learn and grow in our quest to do what is best for our bodies and those around us and may we all have a Happy and Healthy 2010 !
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In the Master List sabove...what is AlA the same as ALA...Alpha Lipoic Acid?
I didn't know if it is a different supplement or a different use of caps for L
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I am bumping this forward, as my friend is also taking many supplements. She is doing an excel spreadsheet to help with the times, etc. This thread got buried, and I don't know if Crunchy (Julia) is still updating this. BTW...my friend was dx with TNBC in 2009, had a double mastectomy on March 3, 2009, refused all treatments, and has been vigilant helping her body to heal itself. I know it is working!!
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Ok ladies...here is another article on vitamins and even gives you the food source.
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And yet another article on how to take vitamins. Still not a very comprehensive one.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2248459_take-vitamins-improve-nutrition.html
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Bumping this forward
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