Miracle 6 months after diagnosis
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I would like to say two things, if I may.
First, I believe in mind over matter. When I was a child, I hated being sick (normal childhood illnesses) so much that I would will myself not to be sick. I didn't like being sidelined by illness and I particularly hated to vomit. Anytime I had an upset stomach I would will myself not to vomit. I was able to suppress it through sheer stubbornness.
But, when I would fall asleep, I would vomit in my bed. I can recall multiple incidents of this. As well as my mind worked to suppress it , the physical disease process ultimately won. I believe mindset can be helpful to me now that I am dealing with MBC but I would never try to depend on that alone.
Second, a fact - the commonly prescribed chemotherapy drugs for her2+ positive cancer, Taxol and Taxotere are plant-based treatments, made from the extract of the bark of the yew tree. They are just as “natural" as the fruits and vegetables we eat and any supplements we may choose to take.
Natural Compound Helps Treat Breast and Ovarian Cancers
https://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/discovery/taxol
I will end by saying LovefromPhilly's comments are very perceptive. Especially in regards to fear.
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According to statistics on this website, breastcancer.org, it's estimated that 268,600 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2019. That is a staggering number for one year!
The claim of a miraculous healing through self love after six months for a relatively new member of this forum who hasn’t taken the time to really get to know others here....one woman out of the 268,600 women diagnosed with bc just this this year alone....really, it raises red flags for me.
Purplehair provides links on several forum threads to her blog and her youtube video to describe her healing methods. What better way to drum up some viewers than to go on a breast cancer forum and profess her story. And her story isn't anything I/we haven't heard before. There are countless bc patients who profess this type of alternative route to self healing.
I'd like to know what kind of outreach Purplehair has in her own community. Does she do public speaking, belong to a local support group, meet one on one, face to face with other women in her area diagnosed with bc, or attend informational seminars in her area and tell her story? My guess is probably not. Because it's easier to stay anonymous on the internet and try to get others to believe what you're trying to sell.
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"Purplehair provides links on several forum threads to her blog and her youtube video to describe her healing methods. What better way to drum up some viewers than to go on a breast cancer forum and profess her story."
It has always really concerned me that BCO allow and in fact have encouraged people to post links to their breast cancer blogs. Blogs can be useful and cathartic. If a BC blog is sharing information about one's treatment and progress with one's friends, that's great. But too often, breast cancer blogs start to veer into medical territory, offering advice about treatment and implying that the way that this one patient approached things is the right way for everyone else too. The information presented is subjective, unreliable and sometimes comes from questionable sources. There are some blogs that have turned out to be excellent resources because the writers are careful to only present the specifics of their own situation, and/or well researched and accurate medical information. However of the blogs that offer treatment advice, those excellent ones are the exceptions.
You'd think that BCO would want to better control the quality of the content that their readers access, which means sticking to content on this site either within the information pages or on the Discussion Board.
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I consider myself pretty open minded but when her blog went from her self healing to aliens being responsible for her new TV's audio issues I had to wonder if we were being pranked.
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I support the skepticism 100% but I also watched two of her videos and she does have a swollen arm. She may be more of a Jess Ainscough than a Baron Munchhausen.
That arm is not a sign of healing
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You aren't aware of poisonous vegetation? Everything on this list does much worse than cause nausea and hair loss, yet all of these plants are “natural", ie found in nature. That is my point. People who fear chemo claim to want “natural" treatment...as Purple Hair did. Taxanes are a plant based treatment, so natural as any vegetable that is a fact.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants
We could also talk about the reliability, purity and possible side effects of the wide range of supplements that some people advocate and then compare the risk/benefit ratio of some of those to the taxanes.
I'd rather risk permanent hair loss than an arm blown up with unchecked cancer growth but that's just me.
https://dtp.cancer.gov/timeline/flash/success_stories/S2_taxol.htm
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How do you blame that arm swelling on lymphedema when she's never had surgery to remove any lymph nodes? You know what can cause an arm to swell like that? I had a tumor that grew into the brachial nerve bundle and my arm would swell like a balloon from my shoulder to my fingertips, I eventually lost all use of my arm until chemo shrunk the tumor.
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Oh my word, illimae! I never clicked on the OP’s blog link, but that is some bizarre stuff she is posting!
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It does look like she's trying to promote her...errr services. I think BCO should remove the link to her videos as they don't bring anything to the already despondent cancer patients, other than making them feel that they don't have good enough handle of their emotions or aliens are in charge.
If you go back years on BCO, it is curious that all these "natural" types are active for a brief period of time and then we don't hear from them. You'd think if their approach were so successful, they would want to come back and prove the skeptics wrong (assuming they were not fakes to begin with). I can only think of one poster who went 100% non-conventional route and has succeeded (so far) and does come back to update, without being preachy and judgmental of those of us who chose the conventional path. I love reading what she has to say.
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But aliens are in charge, right?
How else do you explain, well, just about anything?
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I suppose I have to be okay with people making a decision for themselves to forgo conventional treatment and attempt to heal themselves. Would I do it? Absolutely not, but we all have free will and the right to choose.
Where I have a really, really, really, really, really big problem, though, is when someone claims to be cured by their own hand and is offering to help others forgo their own medical treatment in favor of her "natural cure." She has to our knowledge ZERO medical training and ZERO extensive training on plants, herbs, and other natural treatments. It's not just irresponsible of her to suggest she can help people cure their cancer - in my mind, it's downright criminal. To tell people your hocus pocus can cure their cancer better than chemo is the equivalent of a pharmacist switching out your Xeloda for an herbal tablet and telling you it'll work better.
This person has to be messing with us. Extraterrestrials speak to her through one channel on her TV. What more do we need to hear?
I second the idea that the moderators should remove the link to her blog - although reading her blog does help prove she's not to be taken seriously at all.
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Very well said pesky! I couldn't agree more!
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Purplehair does not seem to be reading any posts, it is like she is just using the forum to push her story. I would actually like it if she would respond to our questions on how she is monitoring her cancer, via MRIs, ultrasounds or mammogram? . I would actually be more interested in her story if she was doing that.
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Note to naysayers ...I have already spoken to my oncologist about using CBD oil and other approaches, but no chemo, if I were to metasticize. He is very supportive.
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That's wonderful. Hopefully, you would have success and you wouldn't come back to BCO and tell people you are healing when your body, in your videos, clearly shows that you are not, which is what Purple Hair is doing.
She claims to have HER2 positive cancer and you do not, which is another factor to be considered when choosing your treatment, whether it's alternative or conventional
I am concerned for her, as well as anyone else who might be misled by the claims she is making
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vbishop, I’m not sure if I’m one of the “naysayers” you refer to but I think it’s fair to say that a great many of us on BCO are not cheering Let’s go chemo!, complementary treatment is great, I include some myself, however, the OP’s claims of how she healed herself really aren’t based on much and invite heavy skepticism.
Also, I never thought I’d do chemo either but stage IV changes things, I hope you never find yourself in that position 🙂
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vbishop,
I agree with illimae. The thing is, for many of us the decision is not a completely binary choice. I am stage IV but have never done chemo. I have been NED for 8 years on AI’s alone, but if chemo became the best choice? Yes, i’d Give it a whirl. I have used many complementary things for pain relief such as acupuncture and CBD. Good for pain relief, but not enough scientific research for me to use those things instead of conventional medicine.
Remember, if a miracle “cure” sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
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I really don't understand why CBD is so expensive. I understand recreational marijuana is heavily taxed but CBD for pain relief. I refuse to pay that inflated price.
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Meow,
CBD oil that is extracted from cannabis is treated, tax wise, the same as THC products in my state. CBD extracted from the hemp plant is said to be of a lower quality and not as therapeutically effective but it is cheaperI think extraction methods effect price as well, CO2 extraction being more expensive than solvent extraction
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Each to their own, for sure. I had a serious cancer (IBC) and you can see from my signature that I had “kitchen sink” treatment. I’m five years NED.
My friend, also with a serious (Triple Neg) cancer, used diet, exercise, black salve and CBD. She lasted a year.
The only result that counts is if you are still alive, and it really was interesting reading the diversity of treatments mentioned in all the posts.
Of course, around a third of us will have a recurrence and it could be, like Olivia NJ, twenty or more years later. As they say, it’s important to live for the day.
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Thanks to those who shared about Steve Jobs. I think, perhaps, the conclusion of this article sums it up:
Did Alternative Medicine Kill Steve Jobs?
"Pass it on: Alternative medicine therapies may improve health for those with cancer, but they should always be used in conjunction with standard medical care."
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the article has next to nothing information. There are plenty of stories of people being treated with no conventional medicine - some of them are non stories ( someone had a surgery for a non metastatic tumour and then starts shouting from rooftops how he is cured without chemo by coffee beans ), some of them are mistaken , some of them may well be real -I do not see how a newspaper article about a guy who may be delayed his operation for 9 months and died in 6 years proves that alternative methods are useless.
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Steve Jobs's biographer has said that in their discussions, Jobs spoken openly about regretting his decision to not undergo surgery for 9 months. His friends have confirmed that he said the same to them.
Of course one can know what might have happened if he'd had the surgery immediately, but according to his biographer, Jobs's tumor had spread during the months that he delayed surgery.
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Although we can, hopefully, trust Job’s biographer and those who knew him well, in the end the only person who knows the truth is no longer with us. Jobs definitely had his quirks and made a decision about his health that many disagreed with, including Jobs, in the end. Sad for the man and his family.*
* Full disclosure, older dd is employed by Apple. She was hired post-Jobs so never knew him, but she has the same fierce loyalty to Apple (including Jobs legacy) as most of their employees do
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Anotherone, I don't see that the article said alternative methods are useless. They opined that the methods should always be used in conjunction with standard medical care.
That makes sense to me but everyone has to make up their own mind.
btw, it was only after searching for articles about Steve Jobs use of alternative medicine that I stumbled upon information about coffee beans. Ya learn something new every day.
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.. or that alternative methods should be used in conjunction... we just do not know. After one does all conventional treatments and dies nobody makes a conclusion that he should have chosen the alternative ways. Biographer appears trustworthy indeed. It is difficult to decide what to do sometimes; if outcomes are good after conventional treatment than it is no brainer but if not that is more difficult.
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And Steve Jobs died as s result. When he realized the optional treatmentwasn’t working he opted for the conventional methods but it was too late. In a speech he made after the failed alternative methods he advised people to not do what he did.
Diane
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I realized the other day that since I have had breast cancer twice since age 40, I am now 67, I am battling a chronic disease. I can only hope to somewhat contain it for however long I have to live. I believe we all have cancer cells. What seems to be different is how well out body can fight that cancer army. As we age, it will get harder.
Since being diagnosed with bc again in 2018, I have done so much reading which has been fascinating. I know more bc patients/survivors today. All except 1, went the conventional route with mixed feelings. My best friend died of bc. She fought so hard and suffered so much while undergoing chemo and radiation. She was before her treatment a gorgeous woman and very physically active. The treatment sapped all that. She lasted about 2 yrs. I think of her every day. We both were equestrian riders. We both loved riding more than anything in the world. She did little of that the last 2 yrs. She desperately wanted to ride. It broke her. I know now how she felt as I too gave up riding because of my health. We all make sacrifices to give life a chance.
Another best friend also has bc. She and I got it the same time when we were both 40. I had a lumpectomy and that was it. She had the works. She suffered, I did not. Life went on. 4 yrs ago, her cancer came back. Now stage 4. She continued with all sorts of drugs trying to slow it down. Recently she had major surgery to remove failing part. My last conversation a few weeks ago, was extremely sad. She is a faint of the person she was. She has fought really hard. She trusts her doctors. I support her no matter how I feel about conventional therapies.
Recently an acquaintance also with bc, went to see Dr Wong in NYC. I have not spoken to her first hand, only through friends, but he is treating her only in a holistic manner as she does not want to have chemo or radiation. I believe he is open to both. So like me, she is the only person I know that other than surgery, is refusing conventional treatment. I wish there was a count of how many of us there are. I wish the alternative patients mattered.
As I have written a few times, I changed my life after 2018 diagnosis. The diet and exercise has been easy. I am down 50 lbs and have never been in such good shape. What has been hard for me, but improving is changing my mental being. This world is super toxic IMO. We have so much to be grateful for but focus on negativity today. We are a society triggered by everything. I have always been a fighter feeling that backing away from controversy shows weakness. Not any more. I no longer hang out with anybody I feel brings me down. I do not read stuff that makes me frustrated and anxious. I put more laughter and peace in my life which I never did. I put ME first. I just let things go I cannot control. I cannot fix the world. It will go on after I am gone. I keep good thoughts front and center.
My wish is that this forum would allow free thinking without judgement and intense pressure to conform. It would make a difference for those of us that support alternative therapies.0 -
Good post , I agree changing mentality is hard as the life one lives is the only one he/she knows pso we just do not see what to change and where. Hope you will write more . I have done all the conventional treatment 13 years ago and sailed through it. I have extensive metastasis in my lungs now. I guess we all come with different fates- conventional and non conventional treatments fail and succeed for different amount of time for different people. Glad to hear you are happy with your life now and wishing you many years more
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Thanks, 1redgirl, for being so honest and open! I agree that it is important to have the tumor removed and then do your best with alternative methods. I refused radiation, chemo, and hormonal therapies. I also refused another lumpectomy when told my margins were not clear. That was 1 year and 4 months ago. I have been back for mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI, all with great results (no sign of cancer). There are success stories for both Conventional and Non-conventional choices, which makes it rational for everyone to make their own choice. When you look at people's profiles here, you see that so many are here for a second time. I would assume that anyone reaching the point of "no hope" would wish that they had tried another method, like Steve Jobs. It doesn't matter what side of the fence we are on. If you fail a test, you wish you had studied harder, took better notes, or maybe chose a different area of study. If you take your dog for a walk and it gets hit by a car, you then wish you had taken a different route on your walk.
With regards to PurpleHair, she, too, has a right to do things her way. The Idiom "like attracts like" is the biggest reason that she shouldn't ruffle so many feathers around here. The Moderators don't need to protect adults from deciding whether or not to believe in what PurpleHair believes. I appreciate that the Moderators do their best here, trying to maintain Freedom of Speech.
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