The Naturopathic Approach

Tethys41 said:

Iscador, Diet, and Exercise
Shawnna,
You are so wise to work with a naturopath. I'm so glad you have taken that path. I suspect that if the Iscador is working for you, your CA-125 will be much lower now. I'd love to hear what it is when you get your results. There was a woman here to see my naturopath a month, or so, ago. She had completed her chemo, but her CA-125 was 39 on a normal scale of 0-35. She was so disappointed and her doctors said her prognosis was very poor. After three weeks on Iscador, her CA-125 was down to 24. She had also altered her diet, reducing her carbohydrate intake and adding animal protein to her diet.

I don't drink any fruit juice. There are far too many sugars in fruit juices. My naturopath's nutritionist tells me that women should consume only 20 mg of sugar daily, and that includes the sugar content of all foods and liquids ingested. So, not only does that mean that fruit juices are off limits, but also most fruits as well. The only fruit I eat is about a third cup of organic berries. This contains about 5 grams of sugar, therefore 1/4 of my daily intake. All cancers seem to have a close relationship with sugar, but ovarian cancer seems to be more sensitive to sugar than many other types. But even other medical fields are recognizing the detriments of sugar, and I've heard that cardiologists are starting to recommend limiting sugar intake to this amount.

I exercise 3 or 4 times a week, not including walks. Yes, weight training is the best. You should also do sprints every other day or so, with full recovery in between. This, as it turns out, is better for us than aerobic running or biking. There's a really good book on the subject of exercise, "PACE The 12 Minute Fitness Revolution." In the area I live, there are a lot of extreme athletes, runners, bikers, etc. My naturopath has observed that if they are cancer suvivors, who have acheived remission, and they continue to practice extreme exercise, they almost always have a recurrance. So, sprints, walking and weight training seem to be the best choices.

I don't really eat anything sweet anymore. And I was a sweetness addict. The only safe sweeteners are stevia and xylitol. I have essentially adopted a Paleo style diet, minus the honey. My naturopath recommends some form of this diet to all of her ovarian cancer patients. She recognized the benefits of the diet when she started it about a year and a half ago, and her CA-125 has been lower on it than ever before. This diet does not include any grains or beans. Therefore, the only baked goods I have are made with almond meal. I have avoided sweets for so long, that when I make these, I don't add any sweetener, and they are fine for my tastes. I love the book, "Paleo Comfort Foods," for the recipes it contains.

I've worked with two naturopaths and one integrative nurse pracitioner, since my initial diagnosis over three years ago. None of them has given much credence to the alkaline diet. I do think that the ingredients of the alkaline diet are beneficial, but frankly, there is no way you can affect the alkalinity of your body by what you eat. If your blood was not at the proper pH, you would die. If you don't have enough acid in your stomach, you don't digest your food properly and you may end up with acid reflux. So, it doesn't make much sense that you are effectively adjusting your body's acidity by what you eat.

Just a glimpse of what I've learned over the past three years.
Take care,

Tethys41 said:

Diet, cont.
Shawnna,
The type of animal protein you eat is pretty critical. Unfortunately, commercially raised animals are subjected to hormones, antibiotics, and a diet cosisting primarily of grains, especially corn. Avoiding the hormones and antibiotics are self explanatory. The problem with a grain diet in animals is that it results in meat high in omega 6s. Too many omega 6s, when comsumed, result in inflammation, which contributes to cancer growth, among other chronic health issues. So, if you're going to eat meat, you really need to rely on grass fed/grass finished, free range, wild game or wild caught fish. If this is just not an option for you, then a diet that is more vegetarian is an alternative. But vegetarian diets get their proteins from things that can be problematic, like grains and beans and soy products, that are just bad news. I would not trust Hormel turkey. I don't know how they raise their birds, but I suspect it is in a commercial setting. Poultry seems to be problematic. There are not a lot of good sources that I have found. But the best source I can find allows you to order it online, from U.S. Wellness Meats: http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok It's pretty affordable, for good meat, and they ship the orders overnight and frozen, and only charge $7.50 for shipping and handling.
I drink tea and water. Green tea is one of the best. I'm told it is ideal to have 6 to 8 cups of green tea a day, which is more than I tend to drink. So, I've found a green tea extract that I take instead.
Although, I am a scientist, I am not in the medical field. All that I have learned, I've learned from my naturopath, who attends conferences regularly and reads the research on these things all the time, because her well being depends on it. I've also learned things from her husband, who is a biochemist. The two of them are very involved in the care of cancer patients and are actually developing products to benefit them. Soon, hopefully, you will see a product that will take the place of Ensure, that not only contains high amounts of protein, but also various ingredients that will help reduce issues experienced by cancer patients, such as chemo brain. I attended a 5 day workshop last fall, put on by my naturopath, that consisted of information that is beneficial to cancer patients. Plus, I ask her a lot of questions, so have gained a lot of knowlege from her.