Survivors who have used only alternative treatments
Comments
-
SO, is it really so that all that use alternative treatment, believes in the exact same treatment, I would not believe so.
And, when someone asks for advice, and am given advice that some others think is wrong, should they not speak up?
I believe in a holistic treatment, and I had surgery, and I am taking chemo, and I am doing numerous lifestyle changes. Who is to decide my understanding of holistic is wrong?
0 -
Operate. Mission: create as much chaos and disturbance on all the alternatine threads to discourage ridicule, harrass posters and promote Big Pharma,s view of the world
0 -
And i,m having my healthy breakfast with the almighty prunes
0 -
For the umpteenth time, this is not an alternative thread. This is a thread for a young woman, stage 3, who wanted to go all holistic. Which is insane.
MOTC said: I've been coming on these boards for close to 7 years and I have never read a post from someone saying they love (or even like) chemo or that doctors are saints (trust me, I fired my first oncologist).
Quite so. If you haven't figured it out already, as soon as women posit the evidence on allopathic, all of a sudden we are chemo junkies. Which I find WAY offensive. Excuse me, but I lived through that nightmare. How dare anyone suggest I'm duped by the system.
What I'd love is some evidenced based information on holistic/naturopathic alternatives to standard cancer treatments. Therein lies the rub: there isn't much. So basically, it's mostly a wish, or a hunch.
Would love to see some comparative analysis, I know there is some, and I know some of our posters on these boards have pointed to some fascinating studies suggesting alternatives.
0 -
Luan,
A small group continuously comes here complaining how disgusting this thread is. If it so disgusting, why do they keep coming back? They can't resist coming-- it's an obsessive compulsion as in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I feel sorry for them. Some have posted thousands of times. I don't think we can help them but I do send our blessing meditation in hopes that it will defuse some of the anxiety they are experiencing.
0 -
This thread was originally started to discuss whether there are longterm survivors who have used ONLY alternative methods. Women who believe in foregoing chemotherapy, anti-hormonals, and radiation are not likely to believe in surgery, given that it is highly "Western" in nature. Is this true or no? (I'm looking at SusanK8 and patzee in particular for answers, given that they seem to hold an alternative only perspective).
My question about surgery seemed to be the one to which Luan reacted so violently. But it is a fair question, and I'm curious about it.
So; the original question of this thread was never answered. It's devolved into a mudfight about protocols and perspectives. The "alternative/holistic only" thread is the right place for those who believe in it.
The "natural girls" thread is great for discussing complimentary medicine; it has many different perspectives and experiences and seemingly very little infighting.
as for Luan's charge of being a conventional radical: I'll take it. I did the whole kitchen sink and felt empowered by it. I also have a naturopath, did acupuncture, and bored my onc more than once with diet/detox/cleanse questions. Life is nuanced, and so are we. end of story!
0 -
Thank you so much Susan. Kira, thank you for asking, having headaches which i never had, Tamox withdrawal? Been a week now, can still feel it operating. Have my phone around my neck. They are trying to fit me one which is a titanic task
0 -
I also wanted to mention: occasionally a troll will arrive shouting, "alternative doesn't work." This statement is staggeringly unspecific and reveals zero research. For example:
1. There is no such thing as "alternative." There are many different protocols so lumping them together is inaccurate and misrepresents the vast array of clinics and therapies.
2. It's unclear what you mean by "work." Do you mean conventional medicine worked for our dear Stage IV sisters who did everything by the book?
0 -
Ltothe K: good post. has anyone heard from WOM?
A great book for anyone interested in learning the history of cancer treatment: "Emperor of All Maladies". He shows how some treatment --especially surgery-- has come a long way since the early 20th century. He doesn't discuss complimentary medicine to any satisfying degree, I thought --"Anti Cancer" is much better at that-- but the book is about the history of the disease, not a history of alt vs. conventional tx.
Kine - GREAT post. Just re read it. You're right: who defines holistic? or alternative? No one has the right to order anyone off this thread - or any thread, really. A quick review of the boards shows that most women have blended conventional with complimentary, or made radical changes in lifestyle once conventional tx was done. No one has the right to deride that.
0 -
Molly, and most importantly causing
0 -
elmcity I'm reading Emperor of All Maladies right now.0
-
Luan,
Tamoxifen is actually a designer estrogen so you might be having estrogen withdrawal headaches. I'm so sorry, they are awful but they eventually go away. Have you tried an ice bag?
0 -
I'm not even asking for what works or doesn't. I'm just asking for some good, smart leads on evidence. And I also realize I have a responsibility to the larger public coming here to keep beating that dead horse. I know we can do it, I've seen it elsewhere. But articles about chemo and the holocaust ain't gonna cut it. By the way, I never looked more beautiful as through chemo, seriously. I never got so much attention for my skin, and face as during my treatment. Everything had been peeled back to its bare essence, and I radiated joy for life.
I just wanted to add that anyone suggesting to a Stage III patient under the age of 40 they go all natural without having done so themselves with a same diagnosis should have trouble sleeping at night.
0 -
Molly, thanks, will try
0 -
SusanK8, What is myelin?
0 -
Elmcity - i have a friend who was diagnosed with a 1.8cm IDC tumor, node negative. She had a lumpectomy and opted out of chemo, radiation, and Tamoxifen. This was 7 years ago and she is cancer-free. Unusual and yet, she did a zillion things - diet, mistletoe, LDN, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, meditation - you name it. It was very expensive! However, it also worked - she continues these different practices (keeps switching them up - mistletoe one year, herbs the next, etc). She is very disciplined and I think that is what it takes to beat cancer with alternative methods. She actually would not recommend this method to just anyone because she knows that it is very demanding. So I believe that it can be done. (And yes, for some women, surgery is the cure, but we all know people in my friend's situation who have progressed, so I still see her method as successful.) She is adamant that surgery is important, however, and that you have to help your body by removing the tumor load.
I find the attitudes on the alternative forum to be a serious bummer. (Some people are just so nasty. And socially awkward. Nothing like the anonymity of the Internet to reveal your true character.) I seriously hope that everyone who has faced cancer on these boards lives cancer-free the rest of their lives, no matter what method they choose.
I'm one of the those women who is doing all the conventional treatment and a ton of alternative - I'm giving it everything I've got. I don't understand why some wouldn't want me on this forum.
0 -
myelin surrounds the nerves. In MS, the myelin sheath is damaged. It can regenerate if there is nothing attacking it (like MS). High doses of Vitamin C (in ascorbic acid) have been found to be effective.
0 -
Thanks sweetbean.
0 -
An interesting study (I wish I could remember where I read it) - a group of people were blindfolded and then told that the investigator was going to touch their finger to a burning hot stove. Instead, their finger was touched to an ice cube. Many, if not all, of the subjects developed burn blisters as if they had touched the stove, not the ice cube. The investigators found that your expectation of the outcome greatly influenced the actual outcome. When I decided to do chemo, I asked everyone around me to avoid using words like "toxic," and "poison." Everytime I thought about the chemo, I thought, "it's just cleansing water, washing the cancer cells away. It is leaving everything else alone." I had very few side effects, save losing my hair. Wasn't particularly tired, no nausea, no taste change, no neutropenia. Didn't gain weight - lost ten pounds of fat and continued exercising. I did the same sort of mental work for surgery and am doing it for radiation. I haven't burned at all (and I am VERY fair) and I am not tired.
For what it is worth....
0 -
.
0 -
Sweetbean, i hope you can understand it in your heart how someone like me who has done all necessary conventional treatments but is seriouly affected by them and who comes to this board looking for answers and finds herself being knocked down, harrassed, insulted can become very raw and defensive nothwithstanding the fact that i am suffering physically and emotionally (PTSD). Problem is the mix of all stages precludes understanding (stages 1 and 2 who breeze through their treatments and look like divas once it,s over) don,t get it but empathy should be the order of the day on a board such as this
0 -
Beautiful, sweetbean. Good point, Mollyann. I have this one set in favorites. I felt kinship with the original poster due to our age at diagnosis.
Why can't we create our own rules? For instance, couldn't we have a thread for studies only, no commentary? I don't like relying on BCO's reports only.
0 -
LtotheK Funny you should mention you looked great on chemo. My avatar is 2 weeks after my 4th chemo tx. I too looked great. Even my onc would comment how great I looked. I would get compliments from strangers in the grocery store how they loved my look (I wore scarves all the time except for 1 weekend when I wore the wig). They had no clue I was going though chemo. When I get my Herceptin there is this gal getting the same cocktail as I did. Not only does she look great but she has hardly any SE except for the hair loss. A lot of us do OK on chemo.
But I did take a supplement to prevent nueropathy. I only had a little in my left heel which is almost gone. This was not something my onc recommended but I'm glad I did it. As a plus it's a memory booster too so I'm still taking it.
I'm all about managing my IBS with the right diet, exercising and probiotic. It works. So I do feel there are things we can do that can help without taking drugs. I just know that sometimes you just need the drug.
0 -
I read alot of things on here but I don't always respond, just contemplate ideas that are shared, decide if I want to look farther into the topic myself and ignore what does not interest me. If anyone has a "hysterical outburst" Or an angry response to someone percieving something as and Hysterical. I simply view it as a very emotionally charged thought or idea that belongs solely to that person. I don't need to agree with it, nor convince anyone to agree with me. No reason to even dispute it and cause a fuss. Simply bless, and move on to the light. This is a place to find love, peace , healing, diversity, & compasion ,on a wide spectrum of healing ideas. That is what I am looking for here.
0 -
That is cool, Lago, and you know I think you are super-beautiful before and after. I even had a friend who told me she was disappointed I was growing my hair in, as she thought I was the most beautiful woman bald.
Funny, I also have IBS, and I also manage it with yoga, mental techniques, and diet. The allopathic meds didn't do squat for me (save some percocet on really bad days).
In the spirit of information sharing, it is thanks to these boards I did the following to help my treatment:
L-glutamine for neuropathy (didn't get any, but I was 4TC only--there is some concern that it may interfere with chemo's activity, so some hospitals will not allow the use of it)
A high-protein diet facilitated by my naturopath (I believe this was a huge help)
More vitamin D than my doctor prescribed (she was cool with 30, I want 50+)
Fish oil (a huge help all the way around)
Better diet, cutting back on dairy, etc.
There were other supplements I took to get myself out of chemo. They were wonderful. I love my naturopath, she is a miracle worker.
0 -
Leaving this thread to the chemo lovers and pharma reps
0 -
LtotheK I didn't use L-glutamine. I took Acetyl-L-Carnitine. It's actually in trails right now according to NCI. Read the bottom section entitled: Clinical Research Ahead
http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/ncicancerbulletin/archive/2010/022310/page6
Who are these people who love chemo? Even my onc hates chemo but it's the best we have right now.
0 -
Who are the pharma reps here?
All I did was make one honest comment about the dangers of having sex in the water. That makes us all pharma reps?
0 -
Lago, that stuff you mention is good for PD too, as well as tumeric. I take tumeric, B complex and Vit D and magnesium. I didn't have chemo because my cancer did not warrant it, but even if it had I probably would have skipped it due to the neurological damage which would have progressed the PD. Doesn't mean I would tell anyone else not to take it. Or refer to it as poison.
0 -
Blue, Here is some info about public pools.
http://men.webmd.com/news/20030605/cdc-swimming-pool-infections-common
0
