naturopath specializing in oncology

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

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

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 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

 

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 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

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 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 

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)

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