Treating estrogen responsive cancer naturally
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Momine- I agree with what you wrote about stage 3B and what you are doing. Combo of hormone therapy and eating well for us stage 3ers. The pattern I see with folks going all natural to try to decrease estrogen is they are all stage 1. For us higher stages, unless Tamox and AIs all make life miserable with no relief from advised supps and exericse, it would be a larger risk.
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Artist: Don't forget exercise on that list!
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Artista...I completely agree. It's much easier for those of us who are stage 1 to refuse the anti hormones. That's one of the main reasons I want us to speak up for better treatment options. There are just too many of us that feel they have to use the big guns to survive and many of them are suffering the SEs. Good luck to all navigating this complicated disease.
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dtad - Happy to hear from another stage 1 that has kindred feelings about the anti-hormones. Just began on 1/2 pill on 4/5/17 and will start in on whole pill on Sat. Went round and round with MO in two separate visits as very skeptical about the side effects vs benefits. Ultimately, the thought of BC metastasizing elsewhere, and being more difficult to treat, drove me to "accept" the AIs. That being said, am still going with anything more "natural" that I can throw at the Beast. MO did agree that if taking AIs means Quality of Life is suffering badly, that I could stop, but should at least "try" first.
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I'm in agreement as well. I'm starting Arimidex when my rads are completed in early May. There's been some discussion on the Armidex thread about name brand vs generic anastrozole. Several ladies have said they have fewer side effects on the name brand and some have said they do better with the generic brand manufactured by Teva and not the other manufacturers. I don't think there's been a study on this, but I do give some credence to anecdotal evidence. I too, am very concerned about potential SEs. I already have slight osteoporosis. This is not in any way an endorsement of one med over another. I'm just trying to find my way through this BC maze
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I did a 10 day trial of Arimidex. I had night sweats, difficulty sleeping, nightmares, severe hip pain, vertigo, mood swings, and exceptional headaches that would not respond to treatment. I quit with no regrets and have no intentions of trying again. My Oncotype was very low, so very little risk of recurrence regardless. I have resumed some exercise but am hampered by the long term irritation from the sentinel node biopsy, and the lingering hip pain. Instead I have am taking Metformin and Diclofenac to address both the metabolic syndrome (no weight loss), pain and inflammation. I really appreciate all the information gathered here. Best wishes to everyone.
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Butterfly - Well stated. "Maze" is a good word for what we are all going through. Am finding the discussion topics a good way to light the way and navigate the maze. Healing thoughts going out to you.
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Now eight months out of treatment, my survivorship plan is becoming more clear. I am focusing on wellness, low stress, eating well, and exercise.
Physical therapy and psychotherapy are in my weekly schedule. Slowly, I am accepting cancer as a turning point in my life. I am retiring from my stressful career and going into the garden more. I believe that being happy and not fatigued will be a powerful defense against reoccurrence.
Well wishes to you all.
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Hello. I was diagnosed with ILC in February of this year.
I had a lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy on March 17. I am ER/PR+, HER2 negative, Grade 1 Tumor (estimated size 1.8 CM), Ki-67 proliferation rate 1%, 1 node with a metastatic focus of slightly > 2mm. My lumpectomy didn't come back with clean margins. I had a contrasting MRI on April 10 and it showed no further sign of ILC, but because the pathology report shows not clean margins I am going in for a second lumpectomy on May 11. My CBC and CMP blood panels all came back excellent. No genetic markers for cancer. Waiting for my Oncotype test results.
I have chosen not to do the Tamoxifin because I have Crohn's, which I finally have under control. My doctor really want's me to try it and see if it agrees with me. Knowing my body the way I do I just know it will flare up my Crohn's. So I'm seeking out alternative estrogen blockers that women in my situation have had good results with.
Here's what I'm doing:
I'm making a shake once a day with the following:
1 scoop Garden of Life RAW Organic Perfect Food® Green Super Food
2 caps Garden of Life Vitamin Code® Women Raw Whole Food Multivitamin
2 caps Garden of Life Vitamin Code® RAW B-Complex™
1 cap Garden of Life Vitamin Code® RAW D3 -- 5000 IUNOTE: You can empty all Garden of Life Vitamins in to your smoothie and drink them vs. having to swallow a whole bunch of vitamins.
3 tsp of the following:
1pt Maitake Mushroom Powder to 2 pt Reishi Mushroom, powder (Ling Zhi)In addition to the shake I'm taking:
20:1 CBD Tincture (cannabis not hemp) - 7 drops, 3x daily
Reishi Extract - 7 drops, 3x daily
2 softgels Terry Naturally CuraMed + OPC (French grape seed extract)I keep seeing good things about DIM and AHCC and am wondering if it's a better alternative than what I'm doing. Any thoughts or insights anyone can share will be greatly appreciated. I really want to do all I can to beat this.
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yhendrix~ I understand that Crohn's can be really tough and you've made a difficult decision.
We make homemade Reishi tincture. My naturopathic D has just recommended Turkey Tail mushroom as well.
Melatonin in high doses (20 mg) is being used to keep BC from reoccurring as well.
I also think that lots of probiotics, brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli) and legumes should be in our diets every day (if you can eat them).
To your health!
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Thanks GardenGypsy. I follow an Ayurvedic approach to my Crohn's. It has kept it in remission for year's now. I did not know about the Melatonin. Thank you for that insight. and to your health as well!
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Hi everyone. I refused anti hormones from the start. I have lost 30 pounds since diagnosis and exercise daily. I take DIM, melatonin, mushroom extract and berberine to control my blood sugar levels. I hope that helps!
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yhendrix~ Auyevedic medicine is powerful. I am so happy it has worked for you.
Dtad: What kind of mushroom?
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AHCC use with great success (more expensive but worth it); was using Turkey Tail
To read more about natural treatments (including AHCC); the book; Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer--And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place (a good read for all the medical interviews with respected professionals around the world)
available at: B&N, Amazon & Half Off Books (gently used)
Mushroom remedies; be sure to research what mushrooms are best with your blood type, it makes a difference; the book; Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type; explains what/why. Experienced Naturopaths will also be able to explain the importance.
Recommend those wishing to use many vitamin & supplements daily; baseline your blood tests for all vitamin & supplement levels first to see where you are and what you actually need; do this every 3-6 months until your test results are within healthy limits on the charts; maintain tests thereafter every 6 months to stay on track. You can over do oral supplements and become toxic, not good. It's a delicate balance.
Testing: There are many that are individual tests and some are grouped together. Request your doctor write the script for these as they are not normally tested for even w/ cancer diagnosis. Select a lab that is experienced in drawing these type of results. Not all labs do these tests as some require 30 minutes to prep at room temp that are chilled. Also check pricing and your insurance coverage. It will take about 7-12 tubes of blood depending on how the lab has them grouped/labeled. 8-12 hour fast; drink lots of water 1 hour before blood draws to ensure your veins are properly plump; request a smaller needle (less painful). If your veins roll, let them know before they start, they may have a heat pack to put over the puncture site (heavenly) prior to the draw to help prepare and relax the veins.
http://www.lifeextension.com/Vitamins-Supplements/Blood-Tests/Blood-Tests
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Seed: The Untold Story; PBS; an independent film
What is GMO vs Non GMO
This is the trailer; check PBS for the full documentary.
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Turkey tail mushroom extract
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dtad~ That's just been rec'd by my nat.onc.
Where do you get it? She said that she buys only the Coriolus from Russia!0 -
yoga_girl: Is AHCC specific to ER/PR-? I'm ER/PR+. Also, with so many brands on the market which do you use?
dtad: I'd also love to know where you get your Turkey tail mushroom extract.
Thank you all so much.
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Hi. I buy the Turkey Tail from Fungi Perfecti at Natural Partners. That is the brand used in the studies from Bastyr.http://bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients
Yoga girl, you mentioned using AHCC instead of Turkey Tail. What made you switch?
Gardengypsy, I also take Melatonin 20mg for the last couple of years too, as my Naturopath Onc recommended it.
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Be careful about extrapolating results claimed by a patient (“Chris Beat Cancer") with a very different type of cancer in a wholly different organ and organ system (digestive) to your breast cancer. Not all cancers, not even all breast cancers are alike, and not all treatments work identically across the board.
As to what to avoid on letrozole, my MO said to avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit (flavorings or essences such as in flavored olive oils are OK), taking St. John's Wort or garcinia or smoking marijuana because of possible phytoestrogenic effects (as opposed to moderate consumption of unprocessed or very lightly processed soy foods like edamame, soymilk or tofu, which are not harmful as formerly thought). She jokingly said “don't eat any white stuff except cauliflower & fish." (In other words, ditch the sugar, spuds & refined flours, and be careful with dairy, sticking to organic in small amounts). But those latter dietary recommendations are for general health, not just ER+ bc.
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Turkey Tail (Host Defense); available at Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Amazon, check w/ other local suppliers in your area. Most health food stores carry it. There are many other brands to choose from.
I switched to AHCC based on the published research to support it and my personal results were better.
AHCC
The world's most researched specialty immune supplement supported by 20 human clinical studies, by over 30 papers published in PubMed-indexed journals and by more than 100 pre-clinical and in vitro studies.
Japan's leading alternative cancer therapy used in hundreds of cancer clinics throughout Asia.
Highly effective immuno-modulator used in over 700 clinics as a standard preventative regiment for all incoming patient to reduce the risk of hospital infections.
The daily immune supplement of tens of thousands of healthy people in Japan and worldwide, seeking to help their bodies to fight the formation of abnormal cells, whose growth can lead to cancer, chronic disease and infections (such as the influenza / flu virus).
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yhendrix
Immpower (AHCC) (30 Veggie Caps); by American Biosciences
I can't find anything in research studies to indicate it is specific to ER/PR-? I'm ER/PR+; I was dx w/ two different types of BC, so in my case it worked well on both.
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I get my mushroom extract on Amazon. Not at home so can't give more info. However I'm definitely going to look into AHCC. Thanks guys...
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LOVE THIS THREAD! thank you to everyone participating
I use both fungi perfecti(Paul Stamets) turkey tail, 6 grams/day and Quality of Life Labs AHCC platinum 3 grams/day. I pulse both of these using fungi perfecti's comprehensive immune support and or reishi every 3-4 months.
Also started using sublingual glutathione
https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Glutathione-Terry-...
found a new tumeric/omega product by Nordic Naturals that professes to use a form of tumeric that goes directly into the lymphatic system vs. the liver. This would keep it in the system longer, which would produce better results. So far I have seen relief of some joint pain from the arimidex side effects
https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product...
Trying to use cannabis oil (minimum 4:1 cbd:thc ratio) having trouble finding indica strains locally
I do take CBD oil from hemp daily. will pulse this and cannabis oil by adding cinnamon essential oil, etc..
also, essiac tea daily
when i can get off the arimidex and zoladex i will begin DIM and Indole-3 to compliment my plant heavy diet(lots of cruciferous veggies)
BTW, I'm 42 and still using the allopathic protocols for ER/PR+ BC
***HUGS
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Sandy- What is it about dairy. I love plain yogurt and sour cream. I don't do much with sour cream since it is bad fat but lowfat yogurt I eat a cup a day with cucumers diced in it--delish.
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Wow, ladies. Lots of amazing information here!
I've read that supplements aren't strictly regulated. I ask for advice from my naturopath about which brands.
Sarah ~ I'd trust Paul Stamets' name, that's for sure. And Nordic Naturals are an excellent company.
Funny thing is that Turkey Tail grows around my house.
Artista: Cultured dairy and/or local unpasteurized dairy is the way to go. Our guts need probiotics desperately. And the calcium there is better than taking supplements.
Mac~ Yes, the Melatonin link to BC is solid.
Now to get my insurance to pay for wholistic medicine.....$$$$$$
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Where do you get unpasturized dairy? Whole Foods? Thanks
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Artista~ It's a matter of going local.
Go to a more smaller health food store and inquire about local farmers who sell it. You can also ask around at the Farmer's Market.0 -
Grocery stores cannot sell unpasteurized dairy. Cheese might be an exception There is good reason why most dairy is pasteurized. Unpasteurized is the same as raw, and you have to find a dairy farm that will sell it to you. I am not saying that you should not consumer it, but I personally would not consume it
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peaches is correct about who sells it.
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