An Alternative approach to Stage IV Health and choices

sweetbean:  A three day juice fast is not without protein, as there is plant based protein in all types of veggies and fruits.  What you are getting are very dose dense nutrients that sustain your body and give you energy.  The patients doing the Gerson Therapy have nothing but juice and raw whole foods during the entire time of their treatment, which sometimes lasts up to six months.

When you are doing the fast, the fruits and veggies must be put through a commercial grade juicer that captures the majority of the nutrients.  You can also do smoothies in a Vita Mix blender for the same efffect and you will get the good fiber as well.  Some people who are very sick with cancer cannot handle the fiber, hence the juicing.

Before you undertake a fast, it's probably best to check with your naturopath for specific instructions.

lulubee:  I know I've posted my list of supplements on the Stage IV Alternative site...it's probably back about 10-12 pages.  I joined the site in Sept, but didn't really start on my program until final dx in November.  I think I posted sometime late December.  Let me know if you can't find it and I'll list them again.  

Hello - what a gret grat discussion, been reading on bc.org for hours and is late so will not even begin to read this thread until tomorrow.

One thing I told myself was I would start getting 10 hours of sleep a night, or at least a nap to equal that, and lately i have not been doing this sleeping well thing.  I believe the sleep up to 8 hours is maintenance, anything over is for healing.  I must be more careful.

I am Stage IIB but suspecting the Stage IV to be announced next week when all tests are in.  

I woudl love to see this as a vert thorough thread on Alternatives where women and men post their protocols to the detail and their experiences with each, as that would be a research of our own.   What is working.  What works for bc, what works for different stages, who fairs best on what. I hope that I find a lot of the details here. 

Right now, I cannot  wait to dig into what everyone has shared!  So excited to come back tomorrow.

 Will post my protocol soon too.  I transition from one protocol to the next right now, using several supplements.

Lulubee, I don't have a complicated protocol. Simple is best so I can actually follow it. I try to eat at least 8 portions of fruits and vegetables, and some nuts everyday, beans (including soy) whenever I remember. I was on a broccoli sprout spree at some point but I think that affected my thyroid - they found a benign nodule. I had forgotten that raw broccoli is goitrogenic. I cook with lots of garlic and spices, including curcumin. I deliberately don't eat to fullness because I don't like the feeling. In our household we fight over who gets the smallest portion. I love fish and have it often. I spinkle olive oil on anything I can. I drink orange, coconut or papaya juice after exercise. I take dairy products for calcium and for the conjugated linoleic acid. Because my aches and pains are no longer as bad as they used to be, I don‘t take magnesium supplements anymore but drink ovaltine which has some magnesium as well as calcium and b-vitamins. I also used to take chondroitin and fish oil for the joint pain. I have maybe one sweet a day and pretty much avoid added sugar (except for the ovaltine).  Last year I had been fasting about 17 hours a day in the hopes of starving cancer at least that much daily. At the moment I'm cutting down on starch and have lost some weight as a result. As soon as I lose another kilo, I'll try the 17 hour fast again. I do a lot less grilling and baking now as well as limit processed foods.

I drink wine in moderation. It has a blood thinning effect which may prevent mets. I drink lots of tea. Chamomile tea is anti-bacterial. The less inflammation we have, the better. I use this to wash my mouth too. Warm drinks flush viruses in our throats down into the intestines where it‘s usually too acidic for them. I take sage drops and drink chamomile tea to help me sleep.

AA, I have considered the fact that weight lifting increases testosterone and androgen receptors a possible factor contributing to my health. I am 100 percent ER+ and most likely have andrgen receptor positive cancer as well, a good prognostic indicator. Some researchers even say adding testosterone to hrt reduces breast cancer risk. I thought I needed to gain strength anyway, why not try weight training? It was tough, but now I've got biceps.

Heidihill,

Your story is remarkable!  I hadn't thought of the weightlifting - I'll have to look into that.  It sounds like you have a very well-thought out strategy - that's awesome! 

sweetbean:   I think you would have to be very committed to go on that program.  You are supposed to drink up to 13 glasses of juice daily, plus all raw foods and coffee enemas daily.  Also there are supplements to take as well.  I know someone who did it for a year and it put her cancer in remission, but then she stopped and the cancer came back, so it isn't necessairly the cure.  We do a lot of juicing and raw foods, but don't know if I could do that much daily.  I started using my Vita Mix blender and doing smoothies which is easier for us.

I just watched the movie "Living Proof"...about the doctor who developed Herceptin.  What a struggle he had to get that drug through the trials.  So many lives saved as a result...hopefully the cancer vaccine will be a similar breakthrough.  Will they give herceptin without chemo?  I know Eve was trying to get it and I think she succeeded.  It almost sounded in the movie that the chemo did not help HER2+ but they gave it anyway.  It was never fully explained.  Great movie...renews your faith in doctors...the pharmaceuticals...not so much! 

I have read in a few placces that the Gerson  Therapy was developed to detox the liver.  Though one can see it is so much more, it is true that the liver needs so much support andwhen it is screwed up, all is not well.  Hubby wants me to use that therapy for now, he is even juicing and buying the produce, I let him, someone can have my back, I will follow as long as it is goodfor me.  But to do that alone, i canna.  I also take other liveer support supplements, Ojibwa tea and others.  But for deadend Stage IV, this and the Budwig and so many other intense therapies have proven to cause remission on their own.  But, the cure, no, that is still more therapies in addition, imo. 

I have decided to use Poly MVA but as soon as I decided to go into the trial, I did kinesiology and got a not now answer, so waiting.  Seems my present protocol is the one, and it is very strong.  But am waiting for test and bone scan results due Monday or Tuesday.  Either way, Hubby and I discussed and we would still be following this protocol, so we are not really afraid of the test results, but still.....

Is good tohave a place to discuss so much, weigh options, learn more and meet others in the same boat, esp the alternative choices boat.  

heidihill,

I too think careful weight training is of major benefit, and I use the monitored testosterone supplement to help me to build some muscle. Unlike some who favor exercise, I admit I don't particularly like having to put the time in to do it and that it worked better for me when it was simply part of my paid work time, but it is key enough to me that it is truly worth doing. I'm glad you are also benefitting from it.

A.A.

Essa

I know what you mean by being wary of what you eat. I've read on ano forum the latest research that Omega-3 may be bad for BC ladies Yes, you heard it right..

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/0...revent-cancer/ 

Re flaxseed, I ate it for a while with cottage cheese but stopped because of it's highly phytoestrogenic and difficult to be absorbed by the body. My initial biopsy was ER+ but downregulated to ER- after surgery. We will not know whether it was an error during biopsy or not but since flaxseed oil is not easily absorbed by the body, I decided it was probably easier to get my omega 3 from fish and olive oil..until the above report came out..lol..

Thanks Cheery, I have been popping Omega 3's everyday. I just fired an email with the link on to my ND.  Aghhhh is right.  I find the more I read and learn the more I don't know what the hell to do.  Starting to think everything in moderation is the way to go.  

I didn't mean to freak you out with the copper and coconut.  My ND didn't want me being vegan because of all the high copper foods vegans eat as protein substitutes.  Lentils, beans etc.  They are all ok in modereration but as a vegan (cheating vegan)  I ate a lot of thosew things. It is one theory in the pond of many.  

My ND was in Pheonix for a Naturopathis Oncology convention.  I see him on Tues and am excited to hear everything that was presented.  

So glad we have this section to share alternatives.  Thanks for starting and keeping it going thatslife.   

I also have just started to add Hash Oil to my regime. I can't do it during the day but I take it before bed.  I get scanned in a month so will see if I get anything out of that.  Stay tuned. lol

I don't know if the hash oil makes me sleepy. I did find I wasn't sleeping through the night for the first week.  I would wake and I would feel stoned and had difficulty falling back to sleep.  I would feel sorry for myself and my family and the reality of my situation was like at the beginning of this journey.    But I don't wake anymore except to pee if I drink too much water before bed.  I haven't felt high though so maybe my body has worked up a tollerance.  I tried it during the day and ya not doing that again. :P  

If you look up Run from the Cure nad Pheonix Tears it gives some testemonials to it "curing" people.  I have a lady that goes to the same ND and she started taking it a month or so ahead of me and she hasn't changed anything else to her plan and she had 50% shrinkage in most tumours.  She was able to get me some and so I am giving it a go.   There are 4 or so from the clinic trying it.  My ND is aware and thinks it's worth a try.  He has to keep his hands out of it for legal reasons but he would presrice it if he could.

I get scanned the end of March.  I am suppose to be taking it a bit more and more each day until I am up to a gram.  There is no way I can do that unless I had someone come and stay with my kids for a few months.  If I get some shrinkage I just might try it.  

My ND emailed me he has some new treatment he wants to try with me to reduce my liver mets.  I will definately keep you posted on everything I learn.

I am new to this thread and very inspired and motivated by the wisdom found here.  I am very aware of diet, etc. and try to find balance and the ability to do the right thing.  Can anyone recommend a specific alkaline water filtration system?  I am interested in adding this to my routine.  Thanks!  I am also very much interested in networking with others who have done Gerson.

Stephanie, recent Stage IV, on Gemzar.  Need to edit my sign-off.