Anyone else out there choosing 100% Alternative?
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We can agree to disagree! :-)
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there are lots of advances in proven natural approaches to bc - indole 3 carbinol, artemisinin, vit D3, salvestrol, curcumin, to name just a few
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I'm not saying that there are not promising natural remedies for the possible treatment of breast cancer. I'm saying that chemo-rads-surgery for breast cancer has changed - and drastically - over the last fifty years with the result that we have better survival outcomes than in past decades and to say that it has not is over-simplifying an incredibly complex issue.
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I understand agree to disagree but...
Surgery- my grandmother had a radical mastectomy, they scraped off everything including all muscles. Rarely done today. No recon available to her. Big change!
Rads- My grandmother had massive, scattered radiation, with little chance of targeting the pertinent areas. Devastating. I had extremely targeted radiation to a met on my femur. No burns, met killed. Yes, rads on still tough on some, but far improved. Big Change!
Chemo- my grandmother received a single agent through her veins (no port offered). Veins blown, blackened, destroyed. Little to no help with se's from chemo. Chemo is still tough today, but for most, not even close to the early 1960's. Big Change!
No tamoxifen, Herceptin, AI's. Could things be better? Of course. Does tx vary depending on where you live? Sadly, yes and I realize how fortunate I am to live where tx is forward thinking and research and innovation are valued. Unlike my grandmother, I had a simpler mastectomy (bi) with ALND on one side, great one step recon. I've had very targeted rads to a bone met, no chemo, a port for Aredia, blood draws and scans. I have had 3 years at stage IV, with changes to my life, but nothing I can't live with. Everyone is different but I simply can not get behind a blanket statement that nothing has changed in 30 years.
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I think I was the one said chemo has remained the same for the past few decades. And I also said the improvement has been on the support of chemo not on cancer itself. I didn't just say it and I read it from the book "what your doctors might not tell you about BC". In the book coming from med prof they said the result of conventional tx seemed improving bc of adding the surviving rate of DCIS. If those were not adding into the equation...the conventional methods are pretty much the same. I believe the book was written well intended and they were fed up with the result of conventional result (I guess).
I know some ppl have been raving chemo and I am not a fan. No one really knows for sure bc we only have one body one life and there's no trial on IF.
Personally I was a sick kid till I became a teen. And I "feel" my body cannot take the damage that chemo might cause. But like I said it's my body and I will live with the consequence. And I just can't imagine myself walk thru the chemo park and come out with out any SE.
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My onc told me i have used up all standard chemos. I am very healthy w mets to lungs and lymph nodes in collar, chest. Her 2 positive . Hormone negative. Any suggestions for altrrnate therepy?
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yes bhd1 find a good naturopathic oncologist, provably in Europe who can recommend at a distance after receiving your health info but you would need a combination of immune boosters, cytotoxic substances like arteminisin and D3, and anti angiogenesis things like angioblock or curcumin. Interestingly many natural substances with anti cancer effects are also anti inflammatory.........
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@exbrnxgrl but what? I said it before and I say it again chemo, rads, and surgery is the standard treatment and it has been. You all are saying the same thing and still is mentioning chemo, surgery, and rads. You are saying oh but it's a different chemo ummmm but it's chemo right? Oh but the surgery my grandmother had, ummmm but it's still surgery, so where is the but coming from? Lol I don't get it. I'm not against any of these things, I took some of them myself, I also believe in alternative like a healthy diet for example. So I don't get it if a few of us have read something and did research that agrees with us that other people get upset or tell us we are wrong! And nicely said Juneping and I also read you blog last night it's good you should go and do an update.
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thanks. You say I would also need a combination of immune boosters, cytotoxic etc . Where do I get that tx?
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Like Selena said, the words are the same, but the tx is not the same as it was. Surgery today, whether for bc or any other reason, is far different from years ago. Analgesic, anesthetic, prosthetic, antibiotic etc. the terms are often unchanged but the treatments themselves have evolved, changed and often, hopefully improved. Automobile, airplane, washing machine, telephone, iron...same nomenclature, same function but not the same in many ways. To say they are unchanged, would not really be accurate.
Caryn
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Chemo has changed and so has the outcome - take the taxanes as an example - survival rates have improved out of sight.
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I'm here to talk about alternative treatment not to go back and fourth about traditional treatment like I said we can agree to disagree. It's still the same no matter what way you put it! Like my oncologist said chemo has not and does not cure cancer it shrink tumors and the cancer stem cell is left before and that's why most people get cancer again no matter if it's a year or 15 years it depends on the lifestyle... Stress etc. cancer pt should also get counseling session and a way to manage their stress level that also alternative and it would be nice if that was offer as a coarse of treatment. You have to heal the person mind body and spirit and not just worry about is the tumor gone because their will to live might be already gone. Okay anyway I'm done with this. Take care ladies!
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Akevia,
Uncle! Truly, nothing's changed.
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Most of us remember when lumpectomy was an alternative procedure. We all owe huge thanks to the brave women, doctors, researchers, who gave us the scientific proof that lumpectomy (especially with radiation) is an effective treatment, and to the folks who are right now developing and testing future treatments.
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Akevia thanks for trying
I tend to forget that the title of this thread means different things to different people I guess. 
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hipz,
The oncotype dx test isn't an option for every type of bc, so your mo is certainly right on there. It is disappointing that it is not used in your area. When appropriate, because it can be very helpful in the tx decision making process.
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akevia - thanks for your compliments about my blog. i felt really strong to write that and now i don't have much energy for my blog anymore. deadlines after deadline, my job is pretty demanding and living so far from work really take a toll on me. planning to move at the end of june...yay..
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I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have come up with a list of things to think about if you do decide to go 100% alt:
* This is not a DIY project. Hire a holistic doc or a naturopath--get the best you can afford. They can help you with issues that you can't do yourself. For instance: a big part of my tx is having many old amalgams (50% mercury) removed and replaced. I have to go to a biological dentist for this and he has a whole protocol that he uses and then my holistic MD takes care of the chelation therapy to get the mercury and lead out of my body. To work quickly on chelation takes a whole lot of knowing what you're doing. If you want to DIY, you must go slowly or you can make yourself really sick! We cancer patients don't really have that much time though if we're trying to avoid surgery, chemo, or radiation.
*If your diet is anything less than ideal then you must change it. Take out all sugar and other junk foods as soon as you get a dx. Preferably before you do, but I doubt there's anyone reading this who isn't in a "cow already got out of the barn" situation. There are lots of good ideas on this forum for how to eat, but I've noticed that the two main categories for anti-cancer diets are 1. Tons of fresh fruits and veggies, often juiced or 2. Ketogenic diet, aka Atkins induction diet
*If you are overweight, you need to lose it as healthily as possible--load up on veggies and some fruit and enough good protein, etc. Check your fats and make sure you're getting enough omega-3 and use real butter, not margarine, etc. Olive oil is good, canola is not. Read up.
*Start to exercise immediately--there are too many benefits not to: stress relief, carries toxins out thru lymph drainage system, losing weight, improving blood sugar profile, etc. Do something you love that is convenient enough to do several times a day. I bought a rebounder (mini-trampoline) and jump for about 15-20 min at a time, at least 3x/day. Rebounding is supposed to be one of the best exercises for cancer patients and it's fun, esp if you jump to music that you really like.
*Do whatever it takes to get your bowels regular. This was difficult for me as I've had problems all of my life but it's critical at this point. I try to drink as much water as I can to keep things moving around and wastes moving OUT.
*Two nutrients that almost everyone is deficient in, BC or not, are sulfur and iodine. You need sulfur to detox; iodine feeds your glands and breasts are glandular tissue.
*Look into the supplements we all talk about here, but don't expect them to do it all--as David Sirvan-Schreiber said in his Anti-cancer book, if you don't improve your biological terrain, there is no hope of curing cancer with herbs and supplements. You need your liver and kidneys to be performing at top form so they can eliminate the wastes and the liver produces glutathione, with the help of sulfur, and that is your body's master anti-oxidant. Most of what my holistic doc concentrates on is biological terrain--he seems to have little interest in the tumor but he said that when my body is in top form, the tumor should most likely just disappear, or at least shrink. It seems very convoluted but it seems to be working so far. It does seem my tumor is smaller and by now it should have quadrupled in size.
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Piper, studies show that it takes about 1.7 years (often longer) for a findable tumor to double in size, and the larger the tumor, and the older the patient, the slower the doubling. Apparently, the three-dimensional process is quite different from the rate at which a single cell reproduces. Here's one study to Google: "Breast Cancer Tumor Growth Estimated Through Mammography Screening Data." I tried to copy the web address, but my computer balked. Anyway, please do not gauge your progress by faulty numbers: No way your tumor could have quadrupled in this time.
I'm very interested in the chelation therapy. Is that covered by insurance?
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Akevia,Shrinking the tumor was not the goal. My treatment plan has been extremely successful in my eyes and my doctors opinion. I have accomplished w/o chemo and radiation, what they themselves said they could not. They said I'd be dead in 18 months w/o chemo and radiation. I am ALIVE 2 years later and in great health ~ but, I do have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. We are treating this as a chronic illness much like any other chronic illness ~ to be managed with great care and diligence. They now say I have min of 12 mths and probably will live 5 years ~ they have no idea since I have done so well and am so healthy. (My oncologist threw my chart down on the table and said, "Look at this, you are 62 yrs old and don't take anything but a little thyroid medicine! You are such a great candidate for chemo!") I take cannabis oil. Her2+ metastasizes to the brain and liver first ~ my brain and liver are CLEAR. They are stunned! I am extremely happy with my decisions and my results!! Let's not pass up an opportunity to encourage each other ~ we really have no idea sometimes ...........
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kaki - sorry I don't mean to pry but I thought you had stage 1 or 2 to begin with? Why they would say you only got few months to live? Sorry I am not familiar with her2+ BC....but I was confused
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Hjpz I agree
Juneping you're welcome and I understand, I wrote I comment there but I will be waiting on your next post. :-)
Fabulouskaki that's good that you feel your treatment was successful and it's no problem with that. I was just stating my opinion. I though a success treatment was that you're cured or the cancer is stable. Sorry if I offended you and I just know when I was going completely natural I realize the tumor wasnt shrinking but getting larger and my breast was getting deformed so I did chemo because I found out I had aggressive IBC. You said we have no idea sometimes well I think I do and that's why I got other treatment and told my natural Doc I'm sorry but if she doesn't understand I don't care because it my life and I would have been stage 4 if I would have kept listening to her. But to each his own , and I'm not encouraging anyone to do anything not if it's not a benefit to them. No one can tell you when your going to die and the Doc's can assume all they want but they are going by text book info and what has happened to some that didn't get any treatment. You did do something even if the Oncologist don't think of alternative as a treatment it is. As long as you are happy with your choice it nothing wrong with that. I wish I could have just had surgery but my tumor was so big it has to shrink first. I know the body can heal itself. Goodluck to you!
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kaki are you saying. Your cancer in brain is clear and you take only thyroid med and cannabis oil? Do you take supplements?
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Kaki sent me a pm in which she claims she was refused surgery initially because she wouldn't do chemo and radiation. I find this very hard to believe - no civilised country would refuse surgery at early stage. I'm starting to think all is not as it appears - very strange.
Akevia - I'm so glad you realised you needed proper treatment.
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"Happy" with lung mets or any mets? Hmmm...I have been doing well for almost 3 years with my bone met and I'm happy with my life, but happy with my met? Nope, and I never will be.
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exbrnxgrl - I sent you a PM
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Suzie, I'm happy I change my mind also, I have an 11 yo daughter to think about. I still do some natural remedies but I just started a new chemo also and will have surgery in a month or 2 and my tumor has shrunk a lot. After I told my natural Doc that they can't do surgery because the tumor was to big and I won't have clear margins and she replied what was that. Right then I was done with her you can't help me heal if you don't know the ends and out about breast cancer. I do agree the holistic approach of counseling, herbs etc. just incorporate the two and it's working for me. I don't have many side affects at all. :-) good luck to everyone on their journey!
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Akevia - I'm so glad the chemo is shrinking your tumour - you hang in there.
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Thank you Suzieq60!
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There is something seriously disturbing about sharing private messages publicly. Geezus.
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