natural and holistic remedies

Hi Madona,
Don't be surprised if you don't get much help on this subject! I posted this same question recently, and was disappointed in the lack of replies. Like you, I thought this would be the place to get some useful info about this, but not so. Apparently, most are talked out of doing anything natural by their docs, or just scarred away by the many who are out there trying to take adventage of desperate people like us? I'm not sure which. At any rate, I also came across the web site Joanne referred to: annieappleseedproject.org There's lots of information there regarding a variety of natural remedies you may want to explore once you're done with treatment. There's even a drug interraction list, in case you're on prescription meds. There's also http://www.cancer-prevention.net/ which has loads of info about how cancer grows and what can prevent or treat it. This site also directs you to products to purchase, which may lessen their credibility, but the information is worth checking out. Once you read it all, you can decide what, if anything, you want to use. Keep in mind that, contrary to what some tell you, NOT everything that's natural is good for you! Some natural substances CAN be harmful, particularily if combined with prescription, CHEMO, or even over-the-counter meds!

Personally, at this point (3 months out of chemo) I've decided to mostly rely on healthy eating (LOTS of fresh veggies, fruit, and whole grain; avoid read meat and sugar) and exercising. I did purchase some Goji berries (high in anti-oxidants + ?) which I add to my oatmeal daily, but there's no scientific evidence that this does any good. I also take a daily multi vitamin (for women 50+),and extra calcium. I cook with either olive or canola oil, and I add both flax seeds and flax oil to my meals. I'm also starting to take a supplement called DIM, which is the stuff that's good for fighting cancer in broccoli.

Like Joanne said, don't take anything without telling your oncologist first, since some things can interfere with the treatments you're getting! For now, while you're in treatment, it's best to eat as healthy as you can, use something like Boost or Ensure when you can't eat to keep your energy and weight up, and drink LOTS of water to flush all the bad stuff out! Also, this is a good time to read about HOPE, SURVIVAL, and to learn relaxation techniques! Your own state of mind may be even more beneficial to your health than herbal remedies.

Best of luck with your treatment!
Marianna

Hi,
You might Google intraveneous vitamin C and Dr. Drisko at the University of Kansas. She did a study with ovca patients and high dose IV vitamin C. The results should be published soon but there is info available.

curlee8661 said:

While you're reading about Dr. Drisko's study, you might also want to read about 3 research studies done by the Mayo Clinic on this topic, and showing no effectiveness of high-dose C therapy.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/c.html

Quack Watch & IV ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
I don't trust Stephen Barrett's web site. The Mayo Clinic research was on ORAL vitamin C which is not tolerated at the doses needed to deal with cancer. As for the evidence on IV vitamin C causing kidney failure, that research was on a patient with amyloidosis and nephrotic syndrome! Barrett is a joke because he picks only the research that appears to support his opinion and sounds like an expert but he really isn't. As a nurse practitioner, I learned to read the original research before making an opinion about it.

I have been taking 25-50 grams of IV ascorbic acid ("vitamin C") and also taking chemo for ovarian cancer (papillary serous stage IIIc, grade 3 diagnosed 9/10). I took 7 weeks off taxol/carbo chemo last year because I had too much tumor die off too quickly causing brain symptoms. I am back on chemo but now only using carbo. No ascites or palpable tumor masses where both were a big problem post-operatively.

It is too early to tell the ultimate result but my kidney function has improved rather than failed. And my holistic doctor checked a blood level of ascorbic acid immediately after I finished a 50 gram infusion and the result was "below normal" range. That means that most of the ascorbic acid had been consumed by the cancer cells where it was converted to hydrogen peroxide where it damaged the cancer cells while causing no damage to the healthy cells. The only side effect that I can detect is that I get thirsty after the treatment (from the sodium content of the ascorbic acid).

The gyn/oncologist is amazed at how quickly my aggressive cancer has subsided. My opinion is that perhaps the IV ascorbic acid therapy isn't adequate to treat the cancer as primary therapy. However, by taking the IV ascorbic acid twice/week in between chemo, perhaps the chemo never gets a break from some form of treatment and never gets its act together to figure out how to become drug resistant.

Compared to the cost of chemo, IV ascorbic acid is cheap so there isn't a big financial interest in doing more research.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060810/news_lz1c10vitamin.html

Go figure.

Carolen