Natural cures for breast cancer treatment
Comments
-
I had a friend that died about ten years ago from something unrelated, but before I knew her she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and I was told that she was in bad shape. She then radically changed her diet and mostly became vegan and swore off sugar and coffee, and her RA went into remission. She then told people how she cured her RA, and if it worked for her, it would work for them. I could see that it worked for her, but there are only a small percentage of people who would go into remission if they changed their diet.
There is a doctor named John Sarno who claims that if people change their mindset they can get rid of their back pain. He lives in NYC and has written several books on his theory. I know of people who have gotten rid of their back pain by using hands on stuff like acupuncture, rolfing, myotherapy or some other hands on work. There is also a doctor Terry Wahls who was diagnosed with MS, and has written a book about how her MS went into remission when she radically changed her diet. There are also migraine sufferers who found out that MSG or something else brought on their migraines.
0 -
On Divine's question, I recently heard a show on doctor radio (I am a fan) about psoriatic arthritis, which can be a tough disease. The host (Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist) had on another doc whose name escapes me, and he's done studies on psoriatic arthritis and said that it can be calmed down by change in diet. He says that sulfates and alcohol exacerbate the disease, and if you stay away from them, you will be able to calm down the disease without use of the very expensive and difficult to take biologics. He and she also recommended use of a supplement, but I don't recall the name.
0 -
vmb,
As to your original post: I have taken and continue to take most of the named supplements and a boatload of others. (I will be looking into ginseng, so thanks for posting this!) My results have been excellent.
There is a dispute among MOs about whether or not super foods and supplements might undercut treatment, perhaps by super-feeding the cancer, or by reducing the toxicity of the chemo-- but I had a consult with a MO who has a very different approach (and excellent statistical outcomes in his practice) that felt intuitively right to me.
His approach is to change the terrain of the body so that cancer does not want to grow in it. The 'growth medium' of one's body can be cancer-friendly, or cancer-unfriendly. Cancer likes low-oxygen, inflammation, fermentation conditions, and the opposite of what cancer likes is a well-oxygenated, low-inflammation cellular "terrain."
A nutrient-dense diet and supplements/ phytochemicals are sort of like a 'soil amendment' to the body making it healthier and resistant to cancer.
This is my soapbox and I repeat it because, for anyone who might feel I am judgemental about other kinds of diets, I guarantee there are ten people who will want and use this info to their benefit. There *is* an optimal diet, like there's an optimal hemoglobin, an optimal BMI, etc.
I engage in this debate because it is wrong to leave a reader of BCO thinking that diet is a big shrug, in which 'everyone gets to decide for themselves what's best.' Nobody says that about cigarettes, even though a cig or two once a month is not likely to kill you either.
When people choose to smoke or drink, they lessen their health a little bit. When they eat refined carbs and transfats, they lessen their health a little bit. We can all decide for ourselves how much lessening we are comfortable with in the bigger picture. That is for sure. I want to be able to opt for a piece of cake here and there and I do.
When I give myself a sweet or a refined carb, I thoroughly, sensually enjoy it. But I also make sure to keep my overall terrain strong. I think I am very sensitive to sugar (shitload of ear infections as a little girl, a ton of antibiotics) hence I need to keep it very low to have healthy conditions in my body. Others might have more wiggle room than I do.
But ESPECIALLY if you have a lot of "empty calories" in your diet (calories that do not bring in nutrients)..... you are probably in need of supplements. You are likely to be displacing a lot of nutrients that would otherwise come in without fastfoods existing. Every apple that is replaced by a bagel in the modern diet is displacing phytochemicals and nutrients with empty calories. Not that the bagel is evil in and of itself, which it is not-- but it needs to be seen in the picture of building a healthy terrain.
0 -
I posed this question:
Excluding cancer of absolutely any kind, I'd like a list of diseases that have "natural"cures. I can imaginethat heart disease may often be cured by diet and exercise. What other diseases?
Thank you for the responses, Here is what I’m getting at. Is the idea of “natural cures for breast cancer” a phenomenon borne of the internet? Are any of the other diseases mentioned, RA, diabetes, high blood pressure, and all others mentioned, as feared as cancer?
If you suffer from any disease, it is a major issue to you. But are those dealing with other diseases judgmentally inundated by articles and videos and recipes and supplements you can read, watch, try or take in order to “cure” their disease? Or are we as women being targeted that we “got breast cancer” because we are not living right, and to correct the BIG MISTAKES we’ve made, we can turn to “natural cures” and eliminate bc from our bodies? “Bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, never let him forget he’s a man, oh and while you’re at, cure your own breast cancer too. “
Because sometimes it feels like that’s the message.
Many have said these other diseases can be better controlled by diet and exercise but not necessarily “cured”. Yet we expect there are natural cures for the complicated disease of cancer?
In my humble opinion, if honest, natural cures for breast cancers truly existed, we would see far, far less of the disease. And that is not happening.
0 -
Divine I agree switching to the best diet is not likely to cure someone's cancer.... but I think it *might* help prevent it from recurring, and it might charge up the immune system to fight better. I think a good diet can make us more resistant to disease in general. But yes, agree that a healthy diet including anti-cancer foods is a large boost, but not a cure.
0 -
Obesity is a disease that can be cured by dietary changes and exercise.
0 -
I am following all of you here and the folks in the stage iv thread (which is an amazing read with all the research those folks have done).
I have been incredibly lazy the last 7 years and have the Buddha belly, lack of motivation, and anxiety to show for it. Did my laziness, bad diet and general disregard for my health cause my BC. No, bad cells did that, bad genes did that. But all the other stuff created an environment that those bad cells could thrive in and grow in. Thus the BC.
What started it? I will never know. But what I do know is that BC has reared its ugly head in my life and I need to do everything I can to beat it into submission. We will never know if we are truly "cured." We hear all the time about tumors that go undetected until a surgical intervention. I believe the best we can hope for is remission and no evidence of disease.
To that end I feel I need to do everything in my power to change what I can to create an environment my cancer will not grow in. What I do as a triple positive is going to be different than what a tnbc does, and so on.
I totally agree that we all need to do what we feel we need to do and no one gets to jump in our lives and dictate to us, especially now if ever.
But diet, supplements, off brand use of medication, etc... needs our attention. We are a consumer society and the research is going where the money goes and that is pharmaceutical intervention. When treatment costs thousands of dollars and folks are living with not only with a castatrophic illness coupled with castatrophic debt something needs to change.
Diet and nutritional education are the simplest things to begin with.
(Now, don't get me started on the cost of whioe foods... that is another argument all together) 😊
PS...debate with love ❤️
0 -
If it was JUST a matter of diet and healthy lifestyle, only fat, lazy people would get cancer. That is not the case. Or ALL fat, lazy people would get cancer. That is also not the case.
0 -
"Many have said these other diseases can be better controlled by diet and exercise but not necessarily "cured". Yet we expect there are natural cures for the complicated disease of cancer?" Exactly! But it's all what people want to believe. Cancer is scary. Most people want to believe that they won't get cancer, or if they do, that they will be cured. The best way to convince yourself that you won't get cancer is if you choose to believe that it's what people do that gives them cancer, whether it's the wrong diet, a bad lifestyle, not controlling one's stress, living in an environmentally toxic area, etc.... the belief varies depending on what the individual personally feels safe from. And if diagnosed? The people who don't do well are the ones who didn't listen to their doctors, right? Or the ones who didn't make the right changes. Because if you do the right things and make the right changes to your life and have the right beliefs (religious or otherwise), you'll be just fine. This is how anyone can convince themselves that if they are ever diagnosed with cancer, they will be just fine.
All that said, I don't think 'cure yourself through healthy living' is uniquely directly at women with breast cancer, or at women rather than men.
I suspect that those with Type 2 Diabetes get it a whole lot more than we do. In many cases (but not all; I don't know the percent), diet and/or lifestyle may have led to the develop of Type 2 Diabetes however once it develops, from everything I've read, it may be controllable and possibly reversible with diet and lifestyle changes, but it cannot be cured.
I'd guess that those who have either high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure probably also frequently hear "cure yourself naturally", although often these conditions are genetic.
Another one that is probably high on the "cure yourself naturally" list is MS, but as far as I know MS can't be cured.
I have osteoarthritis (not sure which side of the family I inherited that from, since it's on both sides, just like lots of cancer) and I have more people coming at me with natural cures for that than for breast cancer.
So no, I don't think it's a breast cancer thing.
0 -
Yes, I have high blood pressure, which started whe I was in my early forties and fit. But I ignored or downplayed it until shortly before cancer reared its head in my life. I was in fact dieting and exercising at that time but still not at a healthy BMI . Anyway my BP had been pretty well controlled after I started medication but lately it's been out of control again.
So I'm seeing a cardiologist and yes, the DASH diet and exercise have been recommended by him. Will that “cure “ me or at least, allow a reduction in meds? Who knows? As I said, my hypertension developed when I had a normal BMI...and at this point, I am on two medications which can cause hypertension on their own. And I am over sixty.
But one thing I do know, a healthier diet and consistent exercise WONT make any of my health conditions worse...whereas other choices might. So I am giving the doctors recommendations a try...they are what I want for myself anyway .
Other people's choices do not impact my life one iota. I don't sit in judgement of anyone on this forum who likes to live a different way than I do. But I don't want to be judged, either. Isn't it a judgement to say that people who become vegan (I'm not) or cut out junk food are self punishing? Or to assume that I believe I gave myself cancer so that's why I want to change my diet?
It's not just holistic hippies saying that obesity puts one at risk for cancer. And even if it didn't...I've been there and I thought it sucked. My knees and feet hurt, I couldn't wear heels, I had acid reflux and more. Fat and happy people, you do you, I am not judging, but for me, becoming obese was not a happy place [Also, non-fat and happy people making different choices than me - continue to do you, I am not judging you either :-D ]
0 -
There's always a subtle line between an empowerment message, 'you have the ability to build a healthier system,' and a false-hope-cure message or a blame-the-victim message. It's delicate because there are 'optimum' practices and yet following them does not guarantee good health -- due to genes, environment, toxins, etc which are also co factors of disease. I am comfortable that overall I am likely to be building my own personal health, even though that does not guarantee anything. But if I recur maybe a good diet now helps me be strong through a subsequent chemo. I feel better physically than I felt before my diagnosis. I think my system was pretty off kilter before and now it is stronger.
BTW I think the people who are most unfairly shamed into "curing themselves" are people struggling with mental health: 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' attitudes...
0 -
"....if I recur maybe a good diet now helps me be strong through a subsequent chemo...."
that is also a very good point. I'm on medication for life. It makes sense to me to try to be as strong as I possibly can so I can continue tolerating it.
In addition, in my case, if my blood pressure is not controlled, I can be taken off Herceptin until it is. Something that I do not want to happen. Therefore, I'll do what I can to follow doctor's recommendations and try to maintain good health practices.
0 -
Olma, I am not saying all who become vegan are self punishing. Some will very much happily flow in that direction after a cancer diagnosis. But there is a swathe of women who feel they did something wrong to get cancer and therefore feel they deserve deprivation. Society has done a bang up job delivering the message that altho it's often the woman's place to feed and nourish her family, god forbid she actually enjoy food. No, she must feel guilt indulging in those chocolate iced brownies with nuts and better jump on that Peloton machine afterwards if she knows whats really good for her. I mean, I hear the messages every day, in real life, on social media and TV.
There have been books written on the subject of how, once women became more successful in the workforce, even more pressure has been applied to their appearance to look thinner and thinner, younger and younger and of course, not just look good but be physically fit. The message is, “sure you can have a successful career, but to be really seen as successful, you must also be trim, fit and attractive. If not, you are only so-so successful" Men not held to these appearance standards.
Recently, the third hour of today ran a segment where Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hagar weighed themselves. Now did they also do a segment asking some of the male hosts like Craig Melvin and Willie Geist to step on those scales? (The answer is no.)The message I got was, “sure, Hoda and Jenna are successful, but don't be too jealous of them because look how much they weigh!"
0 -
Divine - I can find common ground there with what you just wrote. Orthorexia exists! So do all the other eating disorders. And they don't just come from within the person (woman, because ED sufferers are majority female) but also, as you say, from the messages we receive from our social environment.
I do not doubt there are some of us with cancer who also become orthorexic and obsessive about food and about trying to control our environment. Cancer is a scary diagnosis and fear can effect behavior and choices. A healthy balance is essential (moderation, as someone else said). I agree that immoderation can be fun too, but some kinds are healthier and better for me than others :-D I also like to choose the really good things to "immoderate" on....like having Godiva chocolate instead of a Hershey bar when I want chocolate.
0 -
Cancer is a scary diagnosis and fear can effect behavior and choices.
Olma, this is such a simple yet profound statement. Yes, fear after a bc diagnosis is a huge motivating factor for some women to change their diets, maybe even drastically so. I was overwhelmed with fear just finding the lump, and after the diagnosis, the fear persisted for years. That was almost nine years ago, and I sometimes forget those early days and months with my head spinning trying to grasp the new reality of my life. I feel your comment gives me insight as to why some women are willing to make huge dietary changes.
0 -
Here I am posting again. Could not help myself. I wonder how such selective eating and even fear of certain foods impacts the youth in our lives. Statistics show a huge increase in eating disorders and problematic eating patterns in children. I also wonder why breast cancer is so prevalent in countries where we have the privilege to eat so selectively.
0 -
Interesting thought TB90 - selective eating. Likely driven by family patterns.
I had a Mexican Food lunch w/my son today. He hasn't lived in Texas in 25 years. We had a lively discussion about how entire families were just pounding back the food & ordering double portions - four enchiladas instead of two after eating two baskets of chips and appetizers.
Patterns are interesting. My son once asked why I never served a salad with anything except iceberg lettuce when he was little. Well - that's really what was for sale in the stores. Without access to a large garden or a farm, we didn't have a clue that there were so many different kinds of lettuce - nor could we have afforded to buy "gourmet" lettuce. Seems funny now.
I have a friend who recently had her gall bladder removed. So her liver is having to step up to the plate and send the digestive enzymes directly to the stomach. She is going to cook a ham, & small portions of potatoes & green beans for Christmas. She said her grown daughter & 30 year old granddaughter normally sit down & eat enough food for 4-6 people - but she's not providing that kind of feast. Sadly the granddaughter is well over 350 lbs.
0 -
Tossing out another possible variable for discussion.
Wonder how much depends on where we were raised - or where we live? I grew up in No. California. We had orange trees in the yard and fresh juice every morning. My Dad planted tomatoes every summer. (funny no lettuce). LOTS of sunshine. Good for Vitamin D & the bones. Bad for skin cancer.
Are harsh winters a factor? Certainly would impact outdoor exercise.
Are regional eating patterns a factor? Some people BBQ year round. Other examples?
Or for that matter, are ethnic eating patterns a factor. For example - I'm not Italian but I LOVE pasta. And Central Texas has a huge population of German descent.
And is the era we were raised a factor? We walked several miles to school each day - healthy. On the other hand, my Dad wanted meat & potatoes every night - not so healthy. But my Mother baked stone ground whole wheat bread every week.
What do you all think?
0 -
My generation (older baby boomers) were raised by parents who had gone through both the Depression and World War II rationing. To the day my mother died, even after being widowed and living alone for 15 years, her refrigerator was packed to bursting, and she used all kinds of house areas for secondary and tertiary pantries. Growing up, we had to clean our plates, and we had dessert every day, and sometimes twice a day on weekends. In spite of this, my dad was always on the thin side of normal, Mom was just slightly over, and my sister and I were normal weight. I sure wish I had the metabolism I did then!
0 -
Good to see this debate here again. It’s an evergreen, and an important one. And good to see Beesie and DevineMrsM back in the fray. This explanation has always resonated with me:
“This time, using health records from 69 countries, they conclude that 66 percent of cancer-causing genetic mutations arise from the "bad luck" of a healthy, dividing cell making a random mistake when it copies its DNA.“
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/most-cancer-cases-arise-from-bad-luck/
That’s two-thirds of cancer-causing genetic mutations making random mistakes! Incredible.
;
0 -
I grew up in the Midwest (Kansas) with a mother that firmly believed in modern food prep. If it could come out of a can that is what we ate! Also lots of hot dogs, store bought frozen pot pies and old leftovers. When married, I moved to the South (SC) and learned how to cook from scratch. I was skinny most of my life until menopause. Since then I have amended my cooking in attempts to loose weight. I have always exercised (horseback riding, hiking, swimming, etc.). No history of any kind of cancer in my family. I do think it is bad luck or environmental for me. I have added green smoothies daily to get more fruit and fiber. I use turmeric, VitD, modified citrus pectin and CBD to sleep. I do believe in lowering stress and getting good sleep as part of the anti-cancer arsenal. My MO is not interested in supplements, but I am trying to bring him around. I have enjoyed reading this discussion.
0 -
I've really enjoyed reading this discussion among several of the people whose comments I enjoy most on this site. I just had to join in on the issue of how everyone wants to believe breast cancer can't happen to them because …..whatever they can find to differentiate themselves. "Oh, you didn't have a baby - I understand that's a risk factor." "You drink a lot, don't you?" What???? Why no, I did not have a baby; by my choice, thankfully, because if that had been a horribly sad chapter of my life, I'm sure it would have been incredibly distressing to believe that it also caused my cancer. And no, as a matter of fact, I do not drink a lot. But thanks for the insinuation.
My diet could be better. So could my exercise. So I'm working on both, more urgently than before. Based on what I've read, exercise seemed to be the most universally accepted method to reduce recurrence risks, no matter the type of BC. And I don't have to be a perfectly fit person - just more intentional about exercising a certain amount per week. Even if it doesn't keep a recurrence or a new breast cancer away, it still benefits me in so many other ways. So that has been step one for me. Eating more healthy foods - more fruits and vegetables - is step two and I'm working on that. Give up carbs and sugar? Not likely, but I've done better.
The stress of trying to be perfect and radically change all bad habits at once while recovering from surgery, working and trying to maintain a good family life is more than I can handle. Add to that the loss of my mother and mother-in-law all within the same year and a few other difficult circumstances, and frankly, I'm just happy to be functioning some days.
My mother and mother-in-law, by the way, were two of the healthiest, brightest, most vibrant people I knew. Good eaters, exercisers. Both lived to an old age and I had to watch both deteriorate with dementia and become shadows of their former beautiful, loving, dignified selves. So, living to a very old age is not quite the goal it once was in my eyes.
0 -
traveltext, that is likely true..... but then the question is does the terrain facilitate or invite that mutation, or make it more/less likely to be zapped by the immune system?
SuOu sounds like a rotten year for your family. Dementia is horrible to witness. Its great you have made progress on eating and exercise, despite everything you have had to undergo.
It motivated me, re exercise, to read that the working muscles literally CRUSH the cancer cells -- due to the pressure generated in the blood vessels of large muscles working. 30-60 mins a day of brisk walking is enough to be protective, statistically.
0 -
Santa B, I like the image of crushing cancer cells!
0 -
Me too! It feels easier to gear up to exercise when instead of thinking "Ugh, I have to work out," I think "I have to go crush some cancer."
0 -
Crushing cancer cells? Where did you read that? Was it in a medical journal?
0 -
Crush, kill, destroy. This reminded me of an episode of Lost in Space.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HyGxJLCG6qw
Let’s add a fewsynonyms:
Crush cancer
Clobber
Wreck
Hammer
Batter
Slam
Blow
Smash
Pummel
Thrash
Punch
Knock
Ram
Strike
Bludgeon
Annihilate
Pound
Slap
Beat
Hit
Bang
bash
Wallop
0 -
Yes it was a scientific article. About the pressure generated in the large muscles as you sustain a workout; and how cancer cells have less sturdy cell walls and can be burst by this pressure. It takes about an hour of sustained exercise to circulate your blood supply through the large muscle/s.
0 -
Ann, great list of verbs to use on that damned cancer! And I also remember Lost in Space and Crush Kill Destroy - my siblings and I used to try to do it to each other :-O #boomermemories I guess!
I do not know the science behind "crushing" cells but I do know that exercise for cancer survivors is recommended by such conventional outlets as the American Cancer Society and my medical oncologist.
Here is something from cancer.gov on physical activity, cancer risk and improved outcomes for survivors:
That said, just being old is a risk factor for cancer, as the link in the OP in this thread so quaintly put it :-D
Those random errors in cell division and DNA mentioned above, are more likely to happen in an older person, simply because the more years your body is alive, the odds become greater that an error will happen. I have one side of the family with extraordinary longevity and zero cancer except for one great uncle who developed cancer in his 80s. The other side of the family has no known cancer except for distant cousins. But then again, some of my direct relatives died suddenly in their fifties so who knows if they had or would have developed cancer if they had lived longer. The detection and screening that we have now were not done in my grandparents and great-grandparents' day.
0 -
SuQu - sorry to hear about your totally awful year. And sorry about your Mother & MIL. I agree dementia is one of my nightmares. I'm hoping for a quick heart attack - one & done.
As you said, whether you're 'crushing' or not, moderate exercise is good for most everything - even depression. We all will choose what suits our needs.
I for one don't care for the warrior/fighting/killing image. I know I'm not alone in this, but I do understand it helps many people to feel they are attacking.
0
