Treating estrogen responsive cancer naturally
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It doesn't appear so. The one I have now is 100mg each and I take two, but it also has fillers I'd prefer not to have in anything I take. I couldn't one without them before. This new one is the only one I've found so far without soy or a filler/binder I don't want, but you may be able to find one.; especially if you aren't as fussy about fillers.
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Nope,. I dont want soy either.
thx
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I was surpised how many supplements have soy in them. I had to go to 4 stores to find a turmeric supplement that didn't have soy in it. Also silica/silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide. Even on the so-called "natural" ones.
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Mini1 - What brand of DIM are you taking? Did you have to order it online? I don't believe I can take an Ai. There have just been too many side effects for me. Thanks for your help - it has been crazy busy and am hoping to save time, find a reputable co. that sells the DiM.
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Layla, lavender is not a good idea, as it is highly estrogonic.
Kira, in my various travels, I came across the info somewhere (sorry can't remember where) that eating lots of fiber can help eliminate estrogen from your system. So, apart from the obvious things like lots of salads, also switch to hardcore wholegrain starches instead of processed ones. Brown rice and bread, quinoa etc.
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Watch your VIT D3 as well,....I found mine had soy in it and gave those to my husband and got a different brand.
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Momine
thx for that info. I did not know that about the lavender. These are the ' tidbitds' that are very useful.
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kayb
I just looked yours up. Ingredients list soy- not sure if you care , just saying.
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About lavender being "highly estrogenic" ... I love lavender, so when I first heard this, I looked into it and basically learned that that often repeated information is not based on any solid research. Here's the explanation of where it came from:
http://aromatichealth.ca/2011/07/are-lavender-and-tea-tree-oils-estrogenic/
Although that concise explanation happens to be from a pro-aromatics newsletter, the information is valid. Basically, the pro-estrogenic affect was observed in 3 little boys, and the lavender products they were using contained chemical ingredients we now understand to be much more estrogenic.
Of course we each have to decide what we're comfortable with, but from what I can find, the oft-repeated fear of lavender is based solely on a probably incorrect conclusion drawn from observing a very small number of young boys. Deanna
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I see kayb.
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I got my current DIM at Walgreens (Natures Way Plus), but I found another brand - Smokey Mountain that I'm going to try. It's made in the US and has no soy; that I think I will have to order online. Although I appreciate the info on the soy as a binder kayb. Makes me feel better about what I've been consuming so far. I figured since I don't get any anywhere else, the small amount in the DIM was ok.
I was speaking to my doc today and she said that limited amounts of soy such as miso and tempeh are OK, but no dirivitives, which is pretty much what I have read online. She said the max amount that is recommend a day is 80 grams (I think it was grams???) but that those numbers come from women without comprimised immune systems, so for a lot of us it would be good to stay well under that, but overall it would be hard to consume that much in a day. No GMO's for sure. I've added turmeric and resvertrol to my arsenol as well, and think I may do a mushroom supplement as well. Anybody have a mushroom supplement they would recommend?
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Mini, the integrative specialist @ UCLA, Mary Hardy, raves about Thorne Micro-Immune. http://www.thorne.com/Products/Immune-Support/prd~SP629.jsp
UCLA does a lot of research into which brands they recommend, so I think it's a good one -- although I was at an event over the weekend that Thorne participated in, and I was surprised that there were four sweeteners in one of their protein drinks. (I asked because it had a very artificial, overly sweet taste to me.) Not saying that makes it not a good product, but it did surprise me.
Also, if you like mushrooms, don't forget to include them as often as possible in your diet. Deanna
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I saw the Berkeley one on several threads, but then saw the soy, so I kept looking. I'll have to look at the Activamune and the Berkeley again. I caught a sale on mine so I bought 3 month's worth (wish I had got there earier), and I have about 6 weeks left.
I love mushrooms and eat them a lot, but they are like turmeric - not something I want to eat every day.
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I use Host Defense Maitake Mushroom. The mushrooms are U.S. organically grown and sustainably harvested. For what it's worth, Andrew Weil has recommended this brand too. I have read that maitake is the most effective against breast cancer.
http://www.vitacost.com/fungi-perfecti-host-defense-maitake-cellular-support
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I have to see my Onc today. Last time I saw him, I had newly started on aromasin, which he was very happy about. I had resisted it for so long. Well, I only lasted 2 months on it after experiencing side effects like further disruption of my sleep, achy joints and pain in my feet when I tried to do a good amount of walking, vaginal and skin dryness. I decided that I had only taken it to appease him and that all along, I had been against the idea of taking this drug. I never liked the idea of stopping all my estrogen production. I did do 3 years of tamoxifen, during which time I moved naturally into menopause. I feel like all the AIs would age me prematurely, so I've decided that I'm done with hormonal therapy for good, and don't want to lie about it at my appt. today.
I exercise several times a week: long walks, stair climbing, cardio and weight machines at the gym, and yoga once a week. I have gotten my Vitamin D level up almost to 50, eat tons of fruits and veggies, cut out most all processed foods, cut down on alcohol, keep my weight down, and take tumeric, fish oil, and try to eat hormone free dairy and meats, wild caught fish, etc.. So despite all I've done and am still doing and with a stage 1, grade 1 cancer, why do I find it so hard to tell my Onc the truth, that I stopped the aromasin. Anyone have any other things I could point out to him to support my case? Any anything else I could be doing that I'm not doing already?
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The current edition of Life Extension's magazine has a great article on the foods and supplements that halt breast cancer:
http://www.lef.org/lefcms/aspx/Zmags.aspx?pid=4f7a816d&source=CVK200E (main link)
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/4f7a816d#/4f7a816d/52 (article)
Rose, due to standard of care and liability issues, I doubt there's anything you can say that will totally change your onc's opinion. But everything you listed -- exercise, diet and supplements -- all have higher risk reductions associated with them than A/I's do -- plus other health benefits -- and without SEs like bone loss.
As far as what else you could be doing, you didn't mention meat or dairy. Those are two areas I've cut way back on over the past couple of years, but everyone's individual. And if you haven't already, you might also want to read up on I3C, DIM and Grape Seed Extract -- all natural aromatese inhibitors. Many of us take one of those.
The other thing you might consider is finding a top-notch naturopathic doctor to test your hormone levels with a Complete Hormones Assessment. I don't think my onc totally understood my report when I handed him a copy, but he was interested and obviously pleased and very satisfied to see how low my estrogen is. You can also have your onc or PCP get your estrogen levels with bloodwork, but it won't be as accurate as a 24-hour test. Deanna
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Kayb- I asked my MO about DIM today and he had never heard of it. He came back before I left and said he looked it up and said it had never been tested on humans. He then went on about the pre-scribed hormonals. Any info you might have to prove this not to be true would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Diana Rose
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Thanks for the replies. Funny thing is, I didn't get to even discuss the fact that I'd quit the aromasin today. The doctor was in such a rush that he never even asked about it. He always asks how the medication is going. He just asked how I was feeling and whether I had any problems to report. I was all prepared to say "Oh, by the way, I stopped the aromasin" and then argue my case, but he then changed the subject to ask how long ago I had been diagnosed, when was my next mammo due, and then talked about how I could start coming every 6 months now instead of every 3-4, then he was gone. I just thought, OK next time I'll tell him. I figured he probably has a lot of much sicker patients to worry about and kayb, you are probably right that it wouldn't have been such an issue, like I was worried about.
Deanna, I also eat red meat only about once a week and I get all my dairy from Trader Joes, so that it doesn't have the added hormones and I do try to get only wild caught fish. I know the best beef is grassfed organic, but not easy to afford or to even find in the stores. I also did find a naturopathic type internal medicine doctor and she did test my hormones. Estradiol was 5 at one point, then 3 months later, it was 15. Also estrone was at 35, so all in the lower end of the postmenopausal range. I really don't want to do anything to make it lower. If I hadn't been diagnosed with breast cancer, I'd probably be trying some bioidentical type estrogen replacement in a patch or cream form, mainly to help with the sleep and joint achy issues. I do use estriol for the vaginal area as needed and have used testosterone for libido issues.
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Graced - thank you for the link for thr shroom supplement. :-)
Rigiuff - I had HORRIble SE's with the AI's. They have it listed with my other allergies. My MO wants me to take Tamox but I have elected not to due to other medical issues. I worried a lot about telling him and wondered it he would keep me as a patient, but I was pleasantly surprised. He listened to my reasoning and though he diagrees with it, he told me that all he can do is recommend what he considers the best course of action, he can't force me to take it. I'm sure his recommendations are duly noted in my file, but he is fine with my decision. As fine as a MO can be. :-)
I take DIM and have had no side effects. I also take turmeric, and resveratol, along with my calcium and vitamin D. I'm also going to be adding a mushroom supplement.
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Bump
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I have a mushroom supplement that incl. maitake. I read somewhere that maitake and metformin were not good bedfellows. I have packed my head with so much info I forgot where I read it tho';.
If this is of concern to anyone, pls google.,
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I take Perilla Oil in place of Fish oil, as per my ND Also recently had to up my Vit D to 5,000 units as my levels didnt go up. Wow - thx for mentioning to ingredients for soy - i just did and the Vit D I was just going to order from Vitacost, had soy in it. I also bought lotion from our farmers market, and got home and noticed that it too had soy listed in the ingredients....and I had looked at the ingredients for parabens before i bought it and still didnt see soy.
Wondering how much GSE is recommended? I have taken mushroom extract for years when I was coming down with something. How much is recommended on a daily intake?
I was on bio-identical hormones for 2years, did great on them, until my sister was dx with BC. Five years later I was too.
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Shayne, soy lecithin is not an isoflavane which is the bad part of soy. If the ingredient is listed as soy lecithin which is an emulsifier it is okay. I checked this out as I wanted to avoid all soy which is darn near impossible.
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Today was the farmers market, and I asked the woman who made the lotion about it. She said she's had several people ask her about taking it out.....mostly bc of the GMOs associated with soy. It is listed as soy. She said she'd play around with it,using something else, and have something next Spring when the market starts up again.....
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ptdreamer,
I swear I saw a study last week that said the isoflavones were prescribed for breast cancer patients. I'll try to find it.
Geez, after all these years I'm still on information overload. Need a better filing system.
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I have now been on Arimdex for three months. In the past two weeks or so I have been having strange mood swings. Sometimes anxiety, sometimes weepy, sometimes angry. I am 70. Did everything, total mast, chemo, rads. I would like to not have to do this too. I am trying to find out if at my age and statge whether Arimidex will confer any real benefit or if it is so minimal that it would make very little difference in my life span.
Can't find anything definitive. I don't like feeling so weird and would like to find a natural alternative. I had repeatedly asked whether my age was a factor in determining that my risk was not as great but there are confliicting statement son that too.
confused.
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Has anyone found an Omega 3 Fish Oil or CoQ10 that does not contain soy? I was sad to learn that Flax seed (not oil) is not good.
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Try this link for CoQ10 - http://www.swansonvitamins.com/country-life-coq10-100mg-100-mg-120-veg-sgels
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chats
You really should google. I found a link saying it matters not over 70- even radiation. This was mos ago. ( I am in my 50s btw )
Do you know your % of ER PR +.?
Maybe you could look into DIM or else GSE ?
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Thank you Mini1. Country Life is a high quality brand also. I just wish the supplement companies would stop putting soy in everything.
Is it all soy that's in supplements that are bad, or just certain types of soy found in supplements, if anyone knows?
Rosy
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