THINK BEFORE YOU PINK

Hi ladies,

Great to hear what you are doing supplement-wise!

We are all different in our diagnosis and tumor type. I had 50% DCIS and 50% IDC and am weakly ER+, PR-. Different places define ER+/Er- very differently. I'm in Canada so less than 10% is considered weak. However I had an Allred test done and the ER I had was strongly positive.  I am also HER2+ which is considered more aggressive than HER-.  A good naturopath who knows his stuff will prescribe according to your diagnosis and other physical findings. So, as far as dosing or what particular herbs/supplements work for you, first ask your naturopath.

These are the things I take. I won't post dosages because it's custom to each person:

Green tea capsules EGCG, full spectrum Vitamin E, curcumin (which is another ingredient in the New Roots liver formula), vitamin C, Quercetin (one of the supplements used in the Tamoxifen substitution), Co-Q-10 (get ubiguinol CoQ10 - more bio available), grapeseed extract, R+alpha lipoic acid, turkey tail mushrooms (Bell makes a good brand) and/or red reishi mushrooms (hot water extracted and standardized), melatonin, milk thistle extract (very important to keep liver detoxed), Vit D3 (up to 3000 mgs a day - have blood checked x 3 months if over that dose), and 1-2 tbs of ground flaxseed. Flax actually binds to the ER receptor side and blocks estrogen. Also I take calcium 1500 daily with the D3, and a B100 complex with 100 mg of all the B vitamins.

If weakly ER+ or strong ER+, avoid aswagandha, Hoxsey herbal teas. There is also a list of foods to avoid, you can google estrogenic foods and low glycemic foods.  

I drink a glass of Green Magma from Organic Pharmacy in North Carolina. Recommend highly! It's organic barley grass in a fine powder. About $20 something for a big jar.Lasts for months. Cholorphyll helps clean and detox the body. My naturopath said that keeping the liver healthy is very important. This drink and the milk thistle formula are wonderful products. I do like New Roots Liver Formula but it's made in Canada; don't know if they sell it in the States? You can google the ingredients in it and get something similar.

What else....oh....yeah.....so I take a daily vitamin and wild fish oil daily which helps balance the omega 3 and 6.

I also take 600 mg of I3C (indole carbinol) daily but your dose may be different. You can take DIM as well, just more $$.  It's a good idea to keep the I3C in refer or cool place - it can go bad! Was sugggested to take DIM if travelling because it's more stable.  

Naturopath was trying to lower my bad estrogen (estradiol) and these supplements did the job.

You can request a hormone level test from your GP, then go from there. Be sure and get a naturopath who knows what he's doing. And make sure they are certified!

You can also have your GP test your levels of DHEA(S). They should be low.

Also avoid folate supplements (aka folic acid), at least in my ER diagnosis.

I try to eat organic stuff and my grocery bill is outrageous but I planted a garden last year and that helped. My naturopath said to eat organic chicken and beef because of the hormones and antibiotics. Try to eat a lot of plant food, like peas and beans. Lots of fruit. The no sugar thing is a hard one but I'm trying. I have tried stevia and it's great.

Exercise is very important, my onc said it's better than chemo!! Wow, that's something! I walk almost every day and in the spring summer do dragon boating.

My naturopath didn't say any of this would absolutely give us a cure, but studies have shown (not studies the drug companies do ) that these products do have value in reducing risk. The Japanese use AHCC (mushrooms) in their cancer clinics with great success.

So, all I can say is my estrogen levels are balanced w/o the use of drugs and I'm very happy about that!!  My regular doc checked them as well. I hope some of these suggestions will help you gals not only with reduced risk of recurrence but also to generally boost the immune system and feel better!

BTW my naturopath is an oncologist naturopath with over 20+ years experience - he knows his stuff! He has another book out now - "Naturopathic Oncology: Guide for Physicians and Patients. I believe the book sells for $40 and costs about $18 to ship to the States. You can check it out online. I find it very useful - it covers everything from A-Z.  You can check out any of the supplements above as well. If studies are done check to see at the bottom of the article if the study was funded in any way by Big Pharma. They aren't too keen on products that actually help the body and don't have SE's.

Let me know what else you ladies take, and what else you're doing to stay healthy!

Blessings,

tuckertwo

Hi Kaara,

I forgot to mention that I take probiotics as well in the form of acidolphilus and different strains of bacteria (yuck!) for digestion. Also drink aloe vera juice to help heal my innards from chemo.

Glad your antiox levels are up!!

Yes, I know what you mean about the pile of pills 3x a day for me....I have been putting some of them in a smoothie with macha tea and some fruit & yougart. Not bad Add some juice to make it palatable.

How is the weather is FL? I have relatives in Ocala. 

Hi Kaara,

 I do like NC and have been to Boone several times.There used to be the old Boone Inn family style restaurant - was an old home.  I have family in SC; they've been there since about the 1700's so I have a real connection with the place. I travelled to FL years ago - nice & green!  I especially liked St. Augustine and St. Petersburg. That's a good idea to head north when it gets hot & steamy in FL!!

tucketwo

I was just about to post the same article Anne did.  I do see an opportunity in all this - currently Komen gies $70,000,000. a year to Scientific Research.  That is a Huge amount of money - and is doing vital work - AND, we all know it's about time Komen gave a HIGHER PERCENTAGE of their revenue to Scientific Research.

That's one of the things I think we DEMAND of Komen.

When Nancy Brinker started Komen, it was a different world -true then editors wouldn't even use the word breast in a major newspaper!  Komen has made a HUGE difference.  AND, if there's anyone who isn't aware of breast cancer, I hope they remain well & happy hiding under their duvets - it's TIME TO FOCUS on PREVENTION, CAUSE, and a CURE.

Lots of people working for Komen went "clucking crazy" when they made that huge marketing mistake -  don't think it will get that bad again.  We know that with cause related marketing, the company doesn't do it unless it brings VALUE to the company - fine with me, as long as they give MORE of the money they're making to Komen, AND IT GOES TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. Prevention (breast screening, mammograms, nutrition information) especially for those who can't afford it on their own!

Seems a real opportunity for Komen to relaunch and FOCUS on the CURE.

In my opinion, breast cancer is being treated as a 'woman's disease' . If men got breast cancer the way women do I believe there would be a huge outcry. Would men mess around with blue ribbons and fun little walks and runs for the 'cure'? Women are given hormones for various reasons, usually to keep men happy (makes us less moody and crabby, intimate relations improve) but hormones can and do cause breast cancer.

We need to stand up and take this fight to a whole new level. As Athena said, the pink ribbon makes us look cute and compliant. 

tucker

Breast cancer is also a worldwide problem. It trancends race. Perhaps multiple organizations could work together, pool their knowledge and resources and come up with a cure.

tucker