Come join others currently navigating treatment in our weekly Zoom Meetup! Register here: Tuesdays, 1pm ET.

Survivors who had chemo etc and are into Complementary medicine

1111214161746

Comments

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited July 2011

    Suze it must be a Massachusetts recipe. Certainly not a midwestern one. Damned if I can find a place that doesn't overcook the fish out here… except for maybe Chinatown.

    Cooking it with the veggies really gives it a lot of flavor especially with the mushrooms and tomatoes.

  • Suze35
    Suze35 Member Posts: 559
    edited July 2011

    I'll have to try the veggies - that really sounds good.

    I'm originally from Ft. Lauderdale, so I did a lot of fish cooking in my youth.  Grouper, yellowtail, sheepshead...boy I miss that!  It is hard to get well-cooked fish anywhere up here, even in Boston.  We are also pretty limited to flounder, sole and cod for fresh, but I'm finding ways to cope, lol.  Whole Foods actually had whole fresh yellowtail in the other week, so I stocked up.

  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 47,793
    edited July 2011

    Claire, the only way I can get DH to eat the more unusual vegetables is to smother them in gravy! Wink

    Here is something I eat almost every day: since one is supposed to eat oatmeal, I mix up some oatmeal with very little water, so that it has more of a granola consistancy, let it cool, and then layer it with yogurt & fruit..... parfait.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited July 2011

    ruthbru - that sounds good!

    One of my favorite breakfasts is fresh steamed spinach with egge whites in a bit of olive oil with some avocado and Trader Joes spicy smokey peach salsa.  Sometime I add a couple fresh mozarella pearls to the eggs while they are cooking.

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited July 2011
    pip - we can get the spice, but not those Curamin tablets L said she takes. There are a lot of supplements that are not approved here. I had to order my melatonin from Biovea which has an Australian web site but the product came from Germany of all places. We can only get the homeopathic one or get it prescribed then compounded. I'll continue my search and order from IHerb if necessary. 
  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 47,793
    edited July 2011

    Goodness, we could write a great cookbook!

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited July 2011

    Went shopping and asked about Curamin - the girl looked at me as if I'm stupid. Bummer!!! I love ordering things online, so I'll do that.

  • Texas357
    Texas357 Member Posts: 332
    edited July 2011

    Susieq58: since you love ordering things online, have you investigated iGive? It's a way to automatically donate to a charity of your choice whenever you buy online. Once you download the iGive toolbar, then the search engine highlights the businesses that will donate in yellow. It's very simple. I donate to my Golden Retriever rescue for which I volunteer but there are hundreds of charities, and thousands of stores that give back such as VitaCost and Amazon. Makes me feel good each time I order online.

  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 487
    edited July 2011

    Curamin is a brand name, it is not the same as curcurmin, though curcurmin is one of the ingredients among a few like Boswellia.  No comparison in terms of dosage and bioavailability.

    I'm one of those gals that needs double of everything (including drinks : )) I take up to six a day.  1, 3 times a day didn't cut it, and I read that many people double up.  Doesn't seem to be harmful.

    Amazon link, you don't have to pay this much for it:  http://www.amazon.com/EuroPharma-Naturally-Curamin®-Supplement-Capsules/dp/B0016A66Y2

  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 1,466
    edited July 2011

    I am going to a party tonite and think I will take a zuccini concoction... that will get rid of 3 of them.    I actually was a chef in my former life and the mushroom dish sounds awesome Deanna.!!!

    I grew zuccini one year and got mostly flowers.. they were eaten before maturity.. the next year I was kind of tired of the stuffed and deep fried delicious flowers and got a ton of zuccini.  I planted some near the fence here at my new place... I haven't even checked to see if they grew.. they probably did, .. the weather has been perfect for growing things.

    I stuffed  and grilled one last nite with a leftover hamburger concoction son #1 made.... had a couple big eating brothers over along with my son and husband.. that zuccini was GONE.. i should have stuffed two of them.

  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 1,466
    edited July 2011

    oh.. and I have a rhubarb question.

    I had to transplant my rhubarb 3 times.  Finally one of my plants is large enough for a couple pies.. but I have never 'harvested' the stems.  They are long enough.. Is there any rule about their ripeness.  The plant I have is a green variety.. not too much red.  (The little plants growing tho are red or will be).. I;m thinking one would be good this week.

    gawd I love rhubarb pie.

  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 47,793
    edited July 2011

    and rhubarb torte, and rhubarb upside down cake, and rhubarb muffins.....

    You can use them any time they are long enough to cut. Actually, you don't want to wait too long or they can get 'woody' tasting.

  • claire_in_seattle
    claire_in_seattle Member Posts: 2,793
    edited July 2011

    Apple....

    Love an abundance of zucchini.

    On rhubarb.....the smaller, more tender stems are better, but all are OK.  You should pick off anything that looks like a flower head, because a longer season if they don't go to seed right away.

    Don't overpick either.  When I grew rhubarb, I would tear off the leaves and place around the plant as mulch.  You can't use the leaves anyway, and that worked really well.

    Finally, you really do need all that sugar.  Think lemons in terms of tartness.  So use at least most of what the recipe calls for.  This may vary a bit by type of rhubarb, but I never met a rhubarb that didn't need a lot.  I like turbinado better better than white sugar BTW.

    Think I know what today's project will be.  Fixing mine.  It does keep for several weeks in the crisper if you overpick, and you can cut into chunks and freeze.

    Hope this helps.

  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 1,466
    edited July 2011

    i better pick it before it grows any more.

    I think rhubarb is just about my favorite food ever... altho I still hope to eat a lobster someday.

  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 487
    edited July 2011

    Isn't that funny, I just made some rhubarb!  If you want to scale back the sugar, try Stevia as a sweetener.  It's very powerful, don't overdo it.  I also cut the sugar 50/50 with it, as it can be overpowering.

    From the Recipes for Health, I made a potato cabbage soup with Gruere cheese last night.  All low fat/low cal (although saw another report we should be switching to full fat dairy and just cutting back on amount).  Also just made gluten-free blueberry muffins with goat butter.  Yum!  Only took 25 minutes.

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 754
    edited July 2011

    LtotheK, What did you use to make the muffins? I really miss baked goods since I've been avoiding gluten.

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited July 2011

    I make a great sweet & sour cabbage soup although there is some red meat (very little mostly from bones) and brown sugar. I do use sour salt too but tend to use more lemon juice so I don't have to put as much in. It's a tomato base.  (Did I tell you how much I love cabbage).

  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 487
    edited July 2011

    Hi Kira,

    I buy the gluten-free baking mix for bread.  I use that as the base they call for in recipes.  Such an easy fix, and really, I don't miss the flavor of the wheat at all.  These muffins this morning were tops!

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Member Posts: 1,017
    edited August 2012

    kira

    My favorite gluten free cookbook: Gluten -Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts.   I don't follow them exactly - but it gives you the general idea if you want to use Xanthan gum, I never do.

  • MaryNY
    MaryNY Member Posts: 486
    edited July 2011

    Claire: the thought of rhubarb and turbinado sugar is making my mouth water. Also some orange zest and some grated ginger root. Again difficult to get nice rhubarb around here. What you find in the supermarket is limp and overpriced.

  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 624
    edited July 2011

    I used to have a lovely rhubarb patch but finally dug it up because rhubarb requires so much sweetener to be edible!  However, after I dug it up, I learned about cinnamon and its ability to mitigate the blood sugar spike (and here I had always added cinnamon to stewed rhubarb and rhubarb pie).  I always add a tsp of cinnamon to my fruit smoothie in the a.m.  Tastes good and helps too!  When I stew prunes, I add a stick of cinnamon to the fluid.  In fact, I pretty much put cinnamon in everything sweet!

  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 2,701
    edited July 2011

    Re. gluten-free, which I'm working on...  I've noticed that most gluten-free breads and baking mixes include potato starch as a main ingredient; but I've found that I'm as sensitive to nightshade veggies (white potatoes, eggplant, too much tomato) -- as I am to wheat (discovered when dealing with IBS prior to bc), so I'm leery of breads with potato starch as a key ingredient.  So my question is... for those of you using gluten-free products, could you check the labels and let me know if any you like a lot are also potato free?  Ditto for any good gluten-free bread recipes!  This has been a real challenge -- finding gluten-free that doesn't contain potato starch.   Deanna

    PS... Just wanted to also share my source for spices, which I get at The Spice Merchant in Temecula, CA.  They're incredibly fresh and fragrant, and they have a website:  https://secure.spicemerchants.biz/sm/   Their teas are equally fresh.  Their Detox one has a touch of peppermint -- truly the best tasting detox tea I've found.

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503
    edited July 2011

    shebear thanks for the info on the Austin Store.  I live an hour from austin and will def keep up to date on this and go as soon as it opens.  I go to austin for Whole foods and another place called Sun Harvest.

    Once of my best girlfriends DH planted a bunch of berries this year.  As soon as they are ripe I am going to teach her how to can jelly and preserves.  Woohoo that way i get some as well.

  • Yazmin
    Yazmin Member Posts: 218
    edited July 2011

    Also: the many benefits of cannabis oil/vaporizer/brownies for cancer patients have been discussed recently on this forum.

    Can anybody tell me if it is OK to use cannabis oil for its obvious therapeutic virtues, while on an Aromatase Inhbitor (ex: Femara)?

    Thank you. 

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited July 2011

    I found out I can get curcumin and boswellia here but not in the one tablet. I did find a powder joint supplement that seems to have everything in it, but would I like drinking it.

    BTW I love rhubarb!!!

  • claire_in_seattle
    claire_in_seattle Member Posts: 2,793
    edited July 2011

    Yazmin.....  I am sure the ladies on the medical marijuana thread could help you a lot better than most of us.

    As I saw what happened to a lot of my permanently wasted classmates back in the day, this is something I would personally stay away from unless I had a very short time left on this earth, and was in a lot of pain.

    I think the broader question is "does marijuana or hemp in any form negatively interact with aromatase inhibitors?"

    I thought the point of "complementary medicine" was to do positive things for our bodies so we recover from this experience with full vitality and go on to new and great things.

    This is as opposed to needing unending medications.  I would place cannabis in this category.  On top of it being of questionable medicinal value, it is largely unregulated (even in dispensaries) as to dose or potency.

  • Yazmin
    Yazmin Member Posts: 218
    edited July 2011

    You have a point, Claire-in-Seattle. I realize that the line is very thin between using and abusing such a powerful drug. What a disaster, if one should become addicted!

    I have never used MMJ or any kind of drugs in my life, but I am now very curious about the medical value of MMJ, and that was exactly my question: "Would the *medical use* of MMJ or hemp negatively interact with aromatase inhibitors?" I am trying to find out...

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited July 2011

    I hope pot isn't good for you. I hate the "high". Not even sure why they call it high. More like "low". I felt spacey and sluggish. It's a depressant. I rather have energy. I think the last time I got high (low)  I was in  high school. That was over 30 years ago.

    Now too bad caffeine isn't good for you. I'd like that although I don't drink coffee (ever).

  • AnneW
    AnneW Member Posts: 612
    edited July 2011

    apple, I love chocolate zucchini cake. I once found a great recipe at the King Arthur's Flour website! And they also had a zucchini-lemon-walnut muffin that was not loaded with sugar. So good. I may have to resort to the farmer's market for my squash this year--a deer jumped my 6 foot garden fence and was happily munching my chard, strwaberries, and whatever else she could get. Left the snap pea vines alone though...

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 4,503
    edited July 2011

    Anne I think I would be eating venisin about now.  All that work putting your garden in to loose it to a dear. uuuuuurgh

    I put up 20 lbs of tomatoes today  I ended up with 22 pints.  That will be my year supply.