naturopath specializing in oncology

Hybridspirits

Post the completion of my chemo and internal radiation therapy i had an appointment with my naturopath with extended oncology training.  I thought i would share the information she provided along with the testing she has done and treatment we are starting

 

little background - diagnosed 11/2012 with Uterine Cancer.  12/12/12 had total hysterectomy. I was originallydiagnosed as Stage 1A MMT by local hospital/cancer center in Hartford Ct.  Second opininon was optained from Dana Farber in Boston Mass.  They redid the pathology twice as they had a change in diagnois and disagreed that it was MMT.  They came to the conclusion it was just a carcinoma, grade 3.  Given the difference in opinions we went to Memorial Sloan for a third opinion.tie breaker.  They didn't know the difference and agreed with Dana Farber.  So the diagnosis was changed from MMT to grade 3 Carcinoma.   I was told by my oncologist that MMT is very difficult to diagnose as it is an opinion in the reading of stained slides.  Morale of this second and sometimes third opinions count

Similar to others i had 6 rounds of chemo - Carbo/Taxol.  and 3 internal brachterapy treatments

From meetings with my naturopath during treatment we agreed that the first course of testing will be to review my immune system and see the state of mine personally and see what might have broken down and what we need to work on.  This is what we tested (i am reading the titles form the blood test results as i can't read the writing on the order for blood work):

Natural Killer Cells

Natural Killer Cells: Lymphocytes, Absolute

Natural Killer Cells CD3-CD16+CD56+ (ABS)

Natural Killer Cells CD3-/CD16+CD56

UREA Nitrogen (BUN)

Creatinine

Vitamin D

Lymphocyte subset Panel 4

%CD4 (helper cells)

Absolute CD4+ Cells

% CD8 (suppressor T cells

Absolute CD8+ cells

Helper/Supperssor ratio

Absolute Lymphocytes

Vascular Endothelial growth factor (BEGF)

Inerleukin 2 (IL-2)

Interleukin 6, Highly sensitie, Elisa

normal CBC

Ferritin

other misc tests for just normal nutrients, ie sodium, potassium

 

Basically the above testing is to identify what my killer/helper cell levela and ratios are.  Mine were low, which could be from the chemo.  Good news as the ratio was good even though low.  The goal is to work on getting them into the normal range.

The other testing VEGF testing is ment to test the bodies work on creating blood vessels. If this is high or increases over time according to my naturopath this is a great very early marker that the body is starting to feed a tumor somewhere's.  She said we will watch this on the same time frame as oncology visits (ie 3 mnth intervals to 6 mnth intervals, etc..)  if we see a change we will immediately bring this to the oncologist for further testing.  very intersting test. I did ask why the medical profession didn't do this and she had no answer.  Myabe others have their oncologist do this testing

Vitamin D was low which others have found as well.

What she gave me for now:

·          Vitamin D3 6,000 IU daily (1 Tabliet)

·          Vital Nutrients Minimal and Essential multi vitamin – 1 daily

·          Allergy ResearchGroup – Bone Marrow Beef/Natural Glandular   - has Bone Marrow (Bovine, Lyophilized 500 mg ) – 1 daily (this is due to my white blood counts still low after the last chemo)

·          Metagenics – ImmuCore,  contains vitamin C 333mg, Vitamin D 333IU  Niacin 26mg, Zinc 5mg, Selenium 67 mcg, Oleanolic Acit 60mg, proprietary 10:1 water extract of Reishi, Shitake, Fu-Ling, Turkey tail mushroom, oyster mushroom, Maitake – 217 mg. The Naturopath said she has had great results witth this

·          1 dropper full (equals 30 drops)  daily of liquid  Panax, ginseng, tumeric, for the immune and they have seed great results on this

 

 

As far as foods and diets.  At all my meetings with the Naturopath this is what she has shared:

"everyone has an opinion on what diet is magical and many are out there to find the magical cure"  what is important is to be mindful of what you eat and be smart.  This is a summary of smart:

• 
  
  eat organic when practical - if follow the dirty dozen list you will be there close to 95%
  
  
• 
  
  don't avoid meat, but try and use grass fed and eat within reason
  
  
• 
  
  fish is important but keep it wild and watch the mercury issue
  
  
• 
  
  dairy - limit and try for dairy from grass fed cows or use goats milk products
  
  
• 
  
  vegetables are awesome
  
  
•         nuts, beans (freshly cooked from organic is good) are fine
• 
  
  furit wtihin reason
  
  
•         limit or avoid sugar
•         green tea and avoid coffee
•         carbs - keep limited and to smart ones, ie steel cut oats,  organic brown rice,  organic quiona, would prefer something like spaghetti squash than pasta but if   had to use organic whole wheat (reason for the organic is to not intake GMO processed foods).  Breads, limit if have to have organic, know your ingredients and limit the kind of oils and sugar used

in summary treat your body as well as you would treat your car

 

Exercise - get as much as practical as it helps with the immune system/strength.  be active as it helps with stress as well.

Positive attitude is very important as our bodies and immune system takes cues from this.

 

I have a follow up appointment 8/9 and can let you know what is next.

let me know if this is helpful and if there is anything i can squeeze in as a question at this follow up appt

Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

Tethys41

Great info.

Sharon,

Thanks for sharing this information here.  I've been seeing a naturopath since just after my initial surgery for ovarian cancer.  Although the surgery didn't go as well as hoped, I acheived remission and have been NED for 3 1/2 years.  I follow a plan similar to the one recommended by your naturopath with regard to diet, exercise, stress and continued tesitng for monitoring purposes.  I feel better than I did before my diagnosis because I'm living a healthy lifestyle.

Does your naturopath know about Bindweed extract to keep the VEGF down?  I've used it when mine started to climb and it has worked for me.  Good luck.  Keep up the good work!

Hybridspirits

Tethys41 said:

Great info.

Sharon,

Thanks for sharing this information here.  I've been seeing a naturopath since just after my initial surgery for ovarian cancer.  Although the surgery didn't go as well as hoped, I acheived remission and have been NED for 3 1/2 years.  I follow a plan similar to the one recommended by your naturopath with regard to diet, exercise, stress and continued tesitng for monitoring purposes.  I feel better than I did before my diagnosis because I'm living a healthy lifestyle.

Does your naturopath know about Bindweed extract to keep the VEGF down?  I've used it when mine started to climb and it has worked for me.  Good luck.  Keep up the good work!

VEGF growth factor

i will ask her when I see her.   My VEGF was lower than the lowest end of the range so she said this was real good.  I am curious why you would use something to get it down. Is this to stop the growth of new blood vessels potentially due to a tumor and therefore starve it?

i too feel great.  What is interesting is my skin is so soft and don't need any lotion anymore from just this change in diet

if only we knew before or believed folks.

it is great you are NED 3 1/2 years.  i am just starting my counting

sharon

Sara Zipora

Thanks for info

Could you just itemize the 'dirty dozen' you referred to above. Thanks,

I'm following the Servan Schreiber Anti Cancer diet, bought a bread machine and make whole wheat breads with different seeds and favors, goat milk and grass fed free range chickens. Where I live Lamb is generally always grass fed but beef, turkey not.

also according to Servan Schreiber the smaller the fish the fewer mercurity fish it has eaten, so I stay with small fish.

Best of luck to us all and fighting is best remedy!

thanks again,

Sara

jazzy1

Sharon

Thanks and boy you've come a long way baby!!!!  You and Tethys must exchange notes as sounds so similar.  

I've always said, we generally treat our cars better vs. our bodies. and we need to change that stinkin' thinkin'!!!  

Sara, the DIRTY DOZEN PLUS list is at the link below.  They've updated it to now include 15 products vs. the 12, as to the change in title.  I follow this and do purchase as much as I can in organic.  I'm a huge Whole Foods shopper and make so much of my foods from scratch as don't trust the labeling on packaging.  Usually one item on it is not good, so why go there.  

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

 

Knowledge is power!!

Jan

 

 

 

Sara Zipora

jazzy1 said:

Sharon

Thanks and boy you've come a long way baby!!!!  You and Tethys must exchange notes as sounds so similar.  

I've always said, we generally treat our cars better vs. our bodies. and we need to change that stinkin' thinkin'!!!  

Sara, the DIRTY DOZEN PLUS list is at the link below.  They've updated it to now include 15 products vs. the 12, as to the change in title.  I follow this and do purchase as much as I can in organic.  I'm a huge Whole Foods shopper and make so much of my foods from scratch as don't trust the labeling on packaging.  Usually one item on it is not good, so why go there.  

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

 

Knowledge is power!!

Jan

 

 

 

Thanks

Jan, Thanks for lists

sara

Tethys41

Hybridspirits said:

VEGF growth factor

i will ask her when I see her.   My VEGF was lower than the lowest end of the range so she said this was real good.  I am curious why you would use something to get it down. Is this to stop the growth of new blood vessels potentially due to a tumor and therefore starve it?

i too feel great.  What is interesting is my skin is so soft and don't need any lotion anymore from just this change in diet

if only we knew before or believed folks.

it is great you are NED 3 1/2 years.  i am just starting my counting

sharon

VEGF

Our bodies need a certain amount of VEGF, for heart health.  But when it climbs too high, it stimulates too much blood vessel growth, which contributes to cancer growth.  A tumor can only grow to 2 mm (that's really small) without a blood supply.  If the tumor can easily acces blood flow, which happens with an elevated VEGF, it can grow to a bigger size.  One of the biggest contributors to elevated VEGF in today's society is from the copper in pesticides.  Another reason to eat organic and avoid supplements that contain copper. 

Hybridspirits

Tethys41 said:

VEGF

Our bodies need a certain amount of VEGF, for heart health.  But when it climbs too high, it stimulates too much blood vessel growth, which contributes to cancer growth.  A tumor can only grow to 2 mm (that's really small) without a blood supply.  If the tumor can easily acces blood flow, which happens with an elevated VEGF, it can grow to a bigger size.  One of the biggest contributors to elevated VEGF in today's society is from the copper in pesticides.  Another reason to eat organic and avoid supplements that contain copper. 

great inf

got it,  that makes sense. 

i am glad that my naturopath is doing this testing.  But i really can't  undersand why regular dr's will not do this.  Insuarnce covered it so they believe in it. 

Sharon

 

Tethys41

Hybridspirits said:

great inf

got it,  that makes sense. 

i am glad that my naturopath is doing this testing.  But i really can't  undersand why regular dr's will not do this.  Insuarnce covered it so they believe in it. 

Sharon

 

Testing

I don't get it either.  I guess the long and the short of it is that they don't understand the significance of these tests.  I've had more tests than I can remember, genetic tests, regular bloodwork, probably 12 times a year for the past three years.  Of all the hundreds of tests I've had there have only been two or three that weren't covered by insurance.  But I have to get the tests ordered through my integrative nurse practitioner.  My oncologist wouldn't have anything to do with them.  I don't even bother seeing a regular PCP anymore, but rely completely on my naturopath and nurse practitioner.  Regular doctors won't order anything I need to have done. 

Hybridspirits

Tethys41 said:

Testing

I don't get it either.  I guess the long and the short of it is that they don't understand the significance of these tests.  I've had more tests than I can remember, genetic tests, regular bloodwork, probably 12 times a year for the past three years.  Of all the hundreds of tests I've had there have only been two or three that weren't covered by insurance.  But I have to get the tests ordered through my integrative nurse practitioner.  My oncologist wouldn't have anything to do with them.  I don't even bother seeing a regular PCP anymore, but rely completely on my naturopath and nurse practitioner.  Regular doctors won't order anything I need to have done. 

i hear you

i have the naturopath trained in oncology but I seeked her out on my own through other naturopath connections.    My oncologist might remember I go but doesn't get involved.  I do all the coordination. I let my oncologist,  Gyno oncologist know of supplements i am taking and i provide my naturopath with every test result, cat scan, blood work etc from the regular dr's.  It would be nice to have them work together.

but honestly i find i have to manage everything as if you aren't on top if it things she get done to check off a task.  For example my first base line cat scan last week, I brought the disk and reports from another hospital as when I had this done before final diagnosis I was using a local hospital. When i decdided on my treatment team I naturally was at a a bigger hospital.  I gave the disk and reports to the technician and said she needed to give this to the radiologist as my oncologist wanted him to have a comparison from 7 mnths ago.  I get a call regarding one pelvic lymph node the radiologist identified as being on boarder of large.  Now this isn't in the uterine area and that could be very normal or it couldn't.  Good radiologist and oncologist to call me.  First question i asked was what did it look like last time. Of course the dr said the report said no comparison.  Yes the technician didn't give the disk as asked.  Luckily i reminded the gyno oncologist that she should have a copy as well.  She walks the disk down to the radiologist as both are located at the hospital and than calls me back. They are happy it is exactly the same size. Unbelievable.  This is a small example of how I have had to manage this stuff.  And we ask ourselves about the cost of health care.  Unfortunately there are a lot of inefficiencies in the entire system that is driving the cost up. this is the only industry when a person gets paid for making a mistake.  Dr's get ins reimbursement even if they botch something.

enough of this on dr's as we probably could all go on and on

but the great news is that both of us have found a great team and somehow getting it working together

sharon

jazzy1

Hybridspirits said:

i hear you

i have the naturopath trained in oncology but I seeked her out on my own through other naturopath connections.    My oncologist might remember I go but doesn't get involved.  I do all the coordination. I let my oncologist,  Gyno oncologist know of supplements i am taking and i provide my naturopath with every test result, cat scan, blood work etc from the regular dr's.  It would be nice to have them work together.

but honestly i find i have to manage everything as if you aren't on top if it things she get done to check off a task.  For example my first base line cat scan last week, I brought the disk and reports from another hospital as when I had this done before final diagnosis I was using a local hospital. When i decdided on my treatment team I naturally was at a a bigger hospital.  I gave the disk and reports to the technician and said she needed to give this to the radiologist as my oncologist wanted him to have a comparison from 7 mnths ago.  I get a call regarding one pelvic lymph node the radiologist identified as being on boarder of large.  Now this isn't in the uterine area and that could be very normal or it couldn't.  Good radiologist and oncologist to call me.  First question i asked was what did it look like last time. Of course the dr said the report said no comparison.  Yes the technician didn't give the disk as asked.  Luckily i reminded the gyno oncologist that she should have a copy as well.  She walks the disk down to the radiologist as both are located at the hospital and than calls me back. They are happy it is exactly the same size. Unbelievable.  This is a small example of how I have had to manage this stuff.  And we ask ourselves about the cost of health care.  Unfortunately there are a lot of inefficiencies in the entire system that is driving the cost up. this is the only industry when a person gets paid for making a mistake.  Dr's get ins reimbursement even if they botch something.

enough of this on dr's as we probably could all go on and on

but the great news is that both of us have found a great team and somehow getting it working together

sharon

Sharon

Good to know how you found your naturopath.  I'm hoping to eventually find one, but waiting to see how this new health care comes out next year...doesn't look good, but hopeful we get something good from it, beside our premiums going up.  

I knew from the first time when I asked my GYN oncologist about the types of supplements and foods I should/shouldn't take during chemo.  His response.... I  really don't know much about that stuff, therefore, suggest sticking with cruciferous veggies and a daily supplement.  At least give him credit he does admit not knowing.  They're trained in "medicine" not alternative type options where we use the fresh and natural grown foods without all the preservatives, etc, etc, in them.  As to why we go with an alternative like your naturopath...thank God for them we can all cheer!!!

I've learned to always be in charge of my health -- as can't say I trust any of them.  For instance, last time I was at my oncologist appt in January, I saw a new person -- Physician Assistant (PA).  She read my scan and gave me my CA125 results, and finally the doc came in and reviewed things.  When I leave, I ALWAYS get copies of all the blood work reports, scans and any other reports relevant to the day.  Come to find out this PA missed something which "could" have been major on my CT scan, plus had told me my CA125 was a different number.  So...I politely called the docs RN the next day and had her re-read all the reports.  Turns out the PA was wrong in a couple areas, luckily not major.  So...as the story continues -- I will always have my fingers dabbling in any doc or medical employee who has anything do to with my health.  I agree sure be nice if we could just have them all coordinate and manage our care...not happening!!!!  In the future, with Obamacare it might be worse as the PCP will be handling approx 49 million more unhealthy and uninsured US citizens...so those PCP are going to be very busy...ya think?

I better stop now as getting on a roll too.

Be well....

Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lillefty

One more thought

Hi Sharon - 

 

Thanks for posting - this is very helpful. I am fairly new to this board, have read quite a bit but have not posted before. I joined because my mom was diagnosed with Stage IVB endometrial cancer with clear cell features in April. She had a hysterectomy in May and has received her first two of six carbo/taxol treatments. Her CA-125 was never really super high compared to some levels I have read on here (107 when first tested) but is down to only 32 before her second treatment on 7/10. We are very pleased with the direction she is headed right now.

We also went to a naturopath with oncology training and received very similar advice to you regarding supplements and diet. We had already switched to an all organic, low sugar, gluten free, six small meals a day to prevent blood sugar spikes, high vegetable and whole grain, very limited dairy (grass fed organic only) and high fish/limited meat diet when we went to see her but she added one thing - she said you are doing a great job about what you put in your body but what about what you put on your body? I haven't seen anyone post about this so I thought I would share. My mom has changed all the products she uses on her body based on their ratings on the environmental working group's skin deep site: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. Her doctor wanted all the products she uses to be rated between 0 and 2. Many of my mom's products were 7s and 8s and now all her products (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, face and body lotion, lip balm, make up (she doesn't wear much) etc) are 0's and 1's. I know you are all doing everything you can to win your battles and wanted to make sure you knew about this advice to ensure you have all the weapons you can. 

I also wanted to share the name of two books I found extremely helpful - you all probably know them already but thought I would share in case you don't: Beating cancer with nutrition by Patrick Quillin and Anti cancer: A new way of life by David Servan-Schreiber. 

I hope you find this helpful. I send you all postive thoughts and healing energy. 

Lisa 

jazzy1

lillefty said:

One more thought

Hi Sharon - 

 

Thanks for posting - this is very helpful. I am fairly new to this board, have read quite a bit but have not posted before. I joined because my mom was diagnosed with Stage IVB endometrial cancer with clear cell features in April. She had a hysterectomy in May and has received her first two of six carbo/taxol treatments. Her CA-125 was never really super high compared to some levels I have read on here (107 when first tested) but is down to only 32 before her second treatment on 7/10. We are very pleased with the direction she is headed right now.

We also went to a naturopath with oncology training and received very similar advice to you regarding supplements and diet. We had already switched to an all organic, low sugar, gluten free, six small meals a day to prevent blood sugar spikes, high vegetable and whole grain, very limited dairy (grass fed organic only) and high fish/limited meat diet when we went to see her but she added one thing - she said you are doing a great job about what you put in your body but what about what you put on your body? I haven't seen anyone post about this so I thought I would share. My mom has changed all the products she uses on her body based on their ratings on the environmental working group's skin deep site: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. Her doctor wanted all the products she uses to be rated between 0 and 2. Many of my mom's products were 7s and 8s and now all her products (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, face and body lotion, lip balm, make up (she doesn't wear much) etc) are 0's and 1's. I know you are all doing everything you can to win your battles and wanted to make sure you knew about this advice to ensure you have all the weapons you can. 

I also wanted to share the name of two books I found extremely helpful - you all probably know them already but thought I would share in case you don't: Beating cancer with nutrition by Patrick Quillin and Anti cancer: A new way of life by David Servan-Schreiber. 

I hope you find this helpful. I send you all postive thoughts and healing energy. 

Lisa 

Welcome Lisa~

Good news about your mom and her progress thru the treatments.  Sounds like as well, has a great naturopath whom specializes in oncology.

I've always touted the huge importance of the products we put on our skin.  I've been an avid user of EWG.org for a few years now and have transformed my entire product line after lots of intensive research.  As well remember the laundry detergents and home cleaning products.....always something we forget!!!

If you search at top of our side of the site for this subject -- I'm sure you'll find many postings over the past few years.  Do remember this subject in prior times, but must say not much conversations lately.  Good to revisit. 

Below are some good pointers on this very subject -- Note: every so often come back and review the "original" product(s) you purchased with the lower ratings.  They do change, as the company reformulates ingredients. Found this with 2 of my lower rated products at 2 rating, after one year jumped to 4/5 ratings...yikes

BTW the ANTI-CANCER book is my new cancer bible. 

Hugs~

Jan

What we put on our skin is just as important as the food we eat.

Posted On March 26th, 2012

Malcolm Rands is founder and CEO of ecostore.

For some years now we’ve been raising awareness about the importance of looking after your skin. While most of us are conscious about what we’re putting into our bodies, through the food we eat, we can sometimes forget that what we put onto our skin is just as important.

Your skin is your largest organ, it lives and breathes, and is actually porous at a microscopic level. Some substances can be absorbed directly into your bloodstream through the millions of tiny openings in your skin and unlike your stomach, which has enzymes to break down chemicals your food, your skin is not equipped to deal with the nasty chemicals it is exposed to.

Our Laundry detergent is one of our most important beauty products.

We can be exposed to a range of potentially harmful and unnecessary chemicals from the ordinary household products we use everyday. Residual enzymes from your laundry products can be trapped in clothing, sheets or underwear which means they are up against your skin day and night and can be reactivated (especially by sweat and moisture). If they continue doing the job they were designed for, which is removing fats and protein they can cause irritation or other allergic reactions.

Children and babies are more vulnerable to the potentially harmful effects of nasty chemicals.

The delicate skin of babies and young children is about five times thinner than an adults. Infant skin is still developing it’s natural protective barrier until they are at least 12 months old. It is also a lot more permeable than an adults, meaning it more readily absorbs anything that gets put onto it (lotions, soaps) or against it (detergent residues). This is why you see so many babies with eczema and other skin irritations.

3 chemicals used in everyday products to look out for: For more information on these and other chemicals to avoid, please see the Nasty Chemicals Index on our website.

Beware of products that claim to be “natural” and “environmentally friendly”.

Plant-based ingredients are more sustainable than petrochemical ones but just because an ingredient is ‘natural’ or plant-based, doesn’t mean its safe for your health. SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate), SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulphate and CAPB (Cocamidopropyl Betaine) are plant-based ingredients that we won’t use because we believe they’re not safe for your skin. SLS and CAPB are often used in eco products but SLS is also used as an industry benchmark for skin irritation and  CAPB was voted allergen of the year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society. (2004)

 

 

lillefty

Good points Jan - thank you for sharing

Thank you Jan for your response. I meant to say that I did not see any posts in this current discussion regarding skin care products and wanted to make sure people thought about that as welll.

My mom and I are going to look at laundry detergent and all our cleaning products too to change them to limit chemical exposure. Do you have a laundry detergent you might recommend? Or  a cleaning product line? We can of course research as well but would really value your insight based on your research.

Lisa

RoseyR

Naturopaths are VITAL!

 

Sharon,

 

So glad you've found a good naturopath specializing in cancer treatment.   I too (despite living in a city with first-rate teaching hosptials and a cancer treatment center ranked as "one of the top ten in America") have found the treatment I've received from my integrative doctor here in PHiladelphia and my naturopath in Colorado to have been far, far superior to anything I've received from my oncologists.

How to eat to minimize the risk of recurrence, WHAT blood tests to have to monitor what, metabolically, is going on in our bodies, WHICH flags to watch out for (rising VEGF, IGF-1, blood sugar, and even iron!) were established by them, not my oncologists.

After flying all the way to Colorado to see what research confirmed to be a great naturopath, I continue to consult with her via phone every two to three months for a reasonable fee.

Diagnosed with an aggressive uterine cancer in 2010, stage IB, I have felt, after six rounds of taxol/carboplatin and 25 external pelvic radiatin treatments, increasingly good.  (The end of August marks two years since I finished that treatment and I have never felt better.)

However, I attribute getting through treatment with virtually no side effects beyond lost hair (and, at the end, depressed hemoglobin and blood counts) to my local integrative doctor, whose supplements during treatment protected my intestines, liver, and nervous system.  And I attriute my growing energy to consultations with my naturopath.

And so, ladies, I highly recommend--whatever tradiational treatments you are undergoing--to find at least a good integrative doctor in your regiion or a naturopath specializing in cancer treatment; you will get far more attentive care than you would from a typical overworked, stressed, often clinically detached oncologist trained in ony two modalities: chemo and radiation.

Best,

Rosey