See a alt/complementary doctor with oncology experience

RobinWendy
RobinWendy Member Posts: 1,983
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

Hi all:

I have never posted on this thread before.  When I was dx with mets four years ago, I started going to a doctor who was trained as an oncologist (used to work at Sloan Kettering) who finally opened his own practice of alternative and complementary medicine.  Everything he prescribes is in conjunction with the mainstream treatment I am receiving and he really believes in mainstream but thinks more can be done.  I was on femara for three years and it put me in remission.  But, I also ate the way my comp doc wanted me to eat (low sugar and no refined carbs) and took the things he thought could help.  He always showed me documentation to support every either over the counter or prescription drug he wanted me to go on.  So, it's hard to tell if it was the femara, the comp onc or a combo of both that worked so well for me.  I would just be very very careful of supplements and even herbal remedies that may work against your mainstream treatment.  If you can find a doctor who understands both worlds, I strongly recommend doing so.  There's a lot of stuff out there and it's very difficult to ascertain whether it's junk or helpful.  My comp guy is in NYC and I will post his name.  However, I must put a caveat on my recommendation... this guy has NO bedside manner.  After going to him for several years, he's a little less stiff with me but warm and fuzzy he is not.  If you care about that, he's not your guy.  If your looking for alternative/complementary ideas and get your loving support elsewhere, he may be of assistance.  His name is Raymond Chang, MD and the name of his clinic is The Meridian Clinic.  Anyway, I wish all of us good luck fighting this nasty beast and that we are all dancing with NED (no evidence of disease) very soon.

Robin

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  • malucho1
    malucho1 Member Posts: 41
    edited December 2007

    What did he prescribe? Supplements? Other?



    Thanks for sharing. I live in CA so I can't visit him myself but I'd love to hear more specifics on what he has suggested.



    --maluch

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  • RobinWendy
    RobinWendy Member Posts: 1,983
    edited December 2007

    Maluch,

    Dr. Chang had me on Tagamet because it is either a Cox 1 or 2 inhibitor (I can never remember which one) and on Aleve because it is the other Cox inhibitor.  Both are supposed to prevent cox 1 and 2 from aiding in the proliferation of tumors.  But do not just start taking these as this was tailored to my exact circumstances.  He also had me on a statin but since then it has been determine that they do not inhibit tumor growth.  He put me on Vitamin D which almost all oncs recommend.  He had me totally change the way I eat to a low sugar low refined carb diet (not easy to stick with but boy did I drop the pounds!!).  He also found that I have too much copper in my blood and recommended that I do not eat avocado and shrimp.  Finally, he put me on a drug that reduced the amount of prolactin in my blood.  Again, these recommendations were based on my specific blood work results.  I am going to see him again next month as I stopped for awhile because I was on a clinical trial that required me to be on as little meds as possible.  If you can find someone in your area who is an md who believes in alternative and complementary medicine, it is a good thing to try.  Keep in mind that I cleared each and every medication with my regular onc to make sure that I was not taking something that might interfere with my treatment.  Hope this helps.

    Robin

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  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2007

    Good for you! That is so difficult to find a complimentary or alternative MD, especially a skilled one that also lives in your area. I am so happy for you. Thanks for sharing. I have read about Nicholas Gonzalez MD in NYC. He's does the enzymes and coffee enemas. I read about him in many of the alternative treatment books I have.





    Sincerely,

    Julie



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