complementary Meds

lgw
lgw Member Posts: 11
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
As a relative new comer to this site,
i can't thank all of you enough, it is so nice to have a place to share and learn with woman who "unfortunetly"understand this journey.

I have read some of the posting on indole-3 and others recommendations, and thought i would share something i learned of right after my dx in Aug 2003.
MGN3, it is said to be an immune supplement and increase the natural killer cells. it's main ingredient is shiitake mushroom and rice bran.
there have been several studies on it that say it helps your own immune system to fight against cancer cells. but like many alternative therapies, not many studies and not as scientic as we may like.
However, i did tell my oncologist about it, and he had no objections to me taking it during chemo, which was a pretty high dose of a/c plus taxol combined.

i must say i had many other very bad side effects but my white counts did stay very high,and no flu or colds, even to the surprise of the doctors. I have finished the chemo,and i have decide to continue with the MGN3, along with my other supplements, so we'll see...

Just thought i would share the info, there is lots written about it on the net.

Sharing knowledge and experiences can only make us stronger.
This is a brave sisterhood, thanks again.
Hope your days are blessed with laughter, healing and peace. lin

Comments

  • amelia
    amelia Member Posts: 56
    lgw,I have been taking MGN-3 for several months now and realized the same thing, NO COLDS! I have switched to a product called AHCC 500mg. Same thing only a little cheaper. Also, there is supposed to be more studies and better trials than the MGN-3. I alked to my Oncologist about it and he wasn't immpressed, but said I should take it if I wanted. I felt, especially after treatments were done, I needed to do "something". Just stopping chemo and doing nothing didn't make sense to me. The way I see it, even if it doesn't help, I think it does and that has to count for something. When I get a headache or other pain, the first thing I think is maybe it's the cancer coming back. But because I'm taking AHCC, I think even if it is, my immune system is working to kill it, and I don't worry about it. I do believe, boosting the immune system is going to be the new and improved fight against cancer. 'Good luck to you and God Bless, Amelia
  • lindatn
    lindatn Member Posts: 229
    Don't forget the most important immune system builders, five fruits and vegetables a day, plus vitamin C and vitamin E. CoQ10 likewise. Remember cancer needs sugar to grow and can't live in a alkaline body. There are many places on the internet where you can find which foods are acid or alkaline. It was my GP who pointed this out to me. Linda
  • inkblot
    inkblot Member Posts: 698 Member
    lindatn said:

    Don't forget the most important immune system builders, five fruits and vegetables a day, plus vitamin C and vitamin E. CoQ10 likewise. Remember cancer needs sugar to grow and can't live in a alkaline body. There are many places on the internet where you can find which foods are acid or alkaline. It was my GP who pointed this out to me. Linda

    Hi Linda:

    Am with you on the five a day!!! Wise advice! It's good to remember that the foods we actually eat are very important and in most instances, the vitamins/minerals contained in our foods are more readily utilized than supplemental equivalents.

    Example: I read a report recently about Lycopene which stated that supplemental preparations of this substance aren't well utilized by the body and therefore don't afford the same protective properties. So, if we're looking to benefit from the potential anticancer properties of Lycopene, re colon cancer (and perhaps lung cancer), EATING processed tomatoes is the way to go. At least until further research (hopefully in this century) demonstrates that we can get a satisfactory utilization from a supplemental form. Therefore, a "balanced" diet is equally important to supplementation in maintaining our health.

    There's no substitute for good quality, organically grown fruits and veggies.

    Love, light and laughter,
    Ink