Complementary and integrative approaches

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Merilee
Merilee Member Posts: 3,047

I am very interested in learning from others what types of natural and complementary approaches they have had success with. I realize that some have had conventional treatment and some have not. I am not looking to debate the merits of those paths, just learn from what the BC community has found that works for them aside from conventional methods. What are you all doing to maintain and build health?

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Thank you Merilee for starting this Non Debate thread :)



    For one, i would like to offer that i finally got an answer to one of my main concerns relating to phytoestrogens from my hospital onco-pharmacist who confirmed that they are best avoided by ER+ gals (this includes the most obvious such as soya and flax)

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    That is what my naturapath has told me as well. Makes for a slow trip through the store reading labels.

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    I eat a lot of raw food these days. Veggies and fruits &  I like ezekiel bread.

    Mostly organic these days as well.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    What is ezekiel bread, i.e. ingredients, Merilee ?

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    Hi Luan

    Ezekiel bread is sprouted grain bread. Most health food stores carry it. It comes in varieties, the one I have right now is sprouted grain and seeds. Makes great toast .

  • Yazmin
    Yazmin Member Posts: 840
    edited July 2011

    Merilee:

    Thank you for starting this thread.

    You posted in another thread that onion is more nutritious when you let it "sit" about 10 minutes after chopping it. I knew that about garlic, but had no idea that was the case for onion as well. 

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Good, thanks ;) Because my sweet tooth much prefers fruits to veges which i have a bit of a problem with, i compensate by adding a few drops of pure chlorophyl to my drinking water, supposed to really clean out that circulating blood of ours

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Yazmin, your avatar is sooo cute, just want to give it a big kiss :)

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    Chlorophyl? Do you buy it in drops or what?

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Yup, i get it from the very reputable Trophic brand in its super concentrated form, not too expansive at 10.99 and it last for ages

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    Cool I will have to check that out. I've been using a supplement called Garden Veggies by natures way. But I also love veggies and fruits. Especially this time of year when they are fresh and local.

    I have a small veggie & herb garden and a mulberry tree.

  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited July 2011

    I also lime Ezekial bread but when I checked the ingredients, it does contain soy. Should we be worried about that?

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited July 2011

    hrf, soy is in so many products we buy. IMHO I don't fret to much about it in the foods I buy, but I will no longer use soy it self.

    I also bought Ezekial bread, but with  trying to avoid products with glutin not so much now.

  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited July 2011

    I agree with Kira, I would not use straight up soy but a small amount in my bread does not alarm me at all. I do look for the word organic however, because I read that if not, soy seeds are first treated with a chemical that makes the plant resistant to round up, then when it grows the non-organic growers use round up to control weeds. Gross right?

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Merilee, just wanted to add that all the Trophics supplements are chelated. (it,s Canadian, you might not be able to obtain it in the US plus the brands here are regulated, therefore deemed standardized.) I have to limit my supplements right now because i only buy top of the chain highest quality brands

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited July 2011

    Luan, What does it mean there chelated?

  • ktym
    ktym Member Posts: 2,637
    edited July 2011

    I've heard that about onions too, that and the smaller you chop them the better it is. (and the more your eyes water the better which is some comfort when my eyes are tearing up cutting them)

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Kira, excuse my scientific jargon...lol, it,s a process somehow like fermentation, pre digested if you like. Edited to add hi Kmmd !

  • Slainte
    Slainte Member Posts: 152
    edited July 2011

    When trying to "reform" my diet I felt very overwhelmed as to where to start. A NP recommended the book The Anti-Cancer Book, by Davis Servan Schrieber. It isn't full of any new ideas, but is great at explaining which things we should avoid , which we should set more of, and why. Very easy to read, even has a summary table in the back with pictures! What to eat/buy at a glance .



  • ktym
    ktym Member Posts: 2,637
    edited July 2011
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Hi Slainte ! Got his book too ;)

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited July 2011

    So some of are vitamins are so to speak pre digested? That's disgusting. How do I find out if mine are chelated?

  • Lee7
    Lee7 Member Posts: 657
    edited March 2013

    Merilee, Thanks for this thread. 

    I'm trying to avoid soy now. I realized after reading labels just how many things it was in and what I thought was a good choice of food really wasn't.  I was eating whole wheat bread, taking vitamins, and drinking an Ensure everyday since my dx....but they all contained soy. Someone..don't know who know posted it, said maybe soy oil was ok, but not other forms of soy?   Does anyone have any info this ?

    Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Kira, just think fermented, like sauerkraut, even vaccines are fermented but in highly toxic chemicals, even monkey tissue i understand, now THAT is disgusting. It will say so on the bottle, but because the process is of such high quality, the supplements are expansive



    Lee, i don,t use soya oil but olive oil. It,s very hard to avoid it in foods, but i do my best :)

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited July 2011

    Luan, So it's good if it's chelated?

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Absolutely ! Edited to add: Another form of supplement i can,t afford right now is the concentrated food process as opposed to extracts found in the New Chapter supplements. The only leftover one from my working days is the Holy Basil which I take as needed. One more thing i would like to add is that i don,t follow the posology, i take 1 of each daily at the most.

  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited July 2011

    This is for newcomers.  I realize it's old information to most of the people here.

    From the Society for Integrative Oncology:  "Complementary Therapies and Cancer Care" (http://www.integrativeonc.org/index.php/complementary-therapies-and-cancer-care)

    +++++quote (excerpt) begins++++++

    "A few years ago, if you asked your oncologist for a referral to a masseuse, she'd think you were joking. But things have changed. Nowadays, your oncologist might be prescribing the massage  along with acupuncture, herbs and other therapies.

    "It's a sign of a new trend: Integrative medicine is making its way into the mainstream, combining standard medical treatments with complementary ones. Some hospitals have even set up entire integrative medicine centers -- largely because of patient demand.

    " 'Patients love it,' says Simone Zappa, RN, an administrator in the Integrative Medicine Department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. 'And they love it because it works.' "

    "Complementary treatments help many people with cancer. Massage, acupuncture, and hypnosis are being used along with radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. These complementary therapies aren't usually intended to treat the cancer itself. But they can ease side effects and improve quality of life. They may even reduce the amount of medicine you need for treatment.

    "What's more, some of these treatments have been shown to work in scientific studies. The gulf between evidence-based Western medicine and traditional therapies is not as wide as it once was. And many people with cancer are benefiting.

    "Complementary medicine includes dozens of treatments that have not been generally used in Western medicine. They extend from nutritional changes, to biofeedback, to yoga. …

    "Experts stress that complementary or integrative medicine is not the same as 'alternative medicine.' Complementary medicine for cancer is a complement -- not a replacement -- for traditional treatments like radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. It's an important distinction, since only conventional therapies have been shown to fight cancer."

    +++++++quote ends+++++++

    otter

  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited July 2011

    More information for newcomers about complementary & integrative approaches to cancer treatment, with apologies to readers who find this boring...

    From the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (a unit of the National Institutes of Health):   Cancer and CAM:  At a Glance (http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cancer/camcancer.htm)

    +++++quote (excerpt) begins+++++++

    "This fact sheet provides an introductory overview of CAM and cancer, including a summary of 'what the science says.' The fact sheet is mainly for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, and for families and friends of people who are being treated for or recovering from cancer. This fact sheet also takes a brief look at research on some of the dietary supplements that people use in hope of preventing cancer.

    "Key Points

    1) CAM therapies should never be used as a replacement for conventional cancer care or as a reason to postpone seeing a doctor about any problem.

    2) There is limited scientific evidence suggesting that some CAM approaches may be useful in managing some symptoms of cancer and side effects of treatment. At present, there is no convincing evidence regarding CAM use in preventing or curing cancer.

    3) Before using any CAM therapy, people who have been diagnosed with cancer should talk with the doctors who treat their condition—to make sure that all aspects of their cancer care work together. Be aware that some dietary supplements can interfere with standard cancer treatments.

    4) Cancer patients need to make informed decisions about using CAM. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Cancer Institute have written a brochure that can help: Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Guide for People with Cancer (NCI).

    5) In evaluating CAM therapies, people should be wary of extreme claims. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true—for example, claims that a CAM therapy can cure cancer—it usually is."

    +++++++++quote ends+++++++

    otter

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited July 2011

    otter, Thank you for giving us all this info. It is very important info for newbe's.

  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited July 2011

    One last excerpt offered for newcomers:

    From a commentary by the Director of the NCCAM as published online June 14, 2011:  "The Continuing Debate" (http://nccam.nih.gov/about/offices/od/director.htm)

    +++++++quote (excerpt) begins++++++++

    "In the July issue of the Atlantic there is an article by David Freedman along with a series of online commentaries on the controversies surrounding the study and practice of complementary and alternative medicine. This type of dialogue is important, and we were pleased to be among those asked to offer perspectives on the topic.

    "Debate about complementary and alternative therapies has often been polarized, with advocates squaring off against critics and no common ground emerging. There are, in fact, some causes for concern. Many excessive claims are being made for alternative health practices, many therapies are lacking in plausibility, and some are being found to be potentially dangerous. But the field of complementary and alternative medicine is not monolithic. Some therapies—indeed some of those most widely used—are sensible and deserve our attention as we look for methods to help with problems not well managed by conventional medicine.

    ....

    "The goal of NCCAM’s research is to ensure the development of a strong, objective evidence base that offers patients, providers, and health policymakers with the information they need to make informed decisions. This knowledge is vital, given the widespread and frequent self-care use of complementary and alternative medicine."

    ++++++++quote ends+++++++++

    otter

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