went to naturopathic dr and am starting a detox cleanse Friday

lisa42
lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
Hi everyone,

Well I finally took the plunge and went and saw a naturopathic doctor. Even within that realm, the "ND's" (naturopathic dr) don't all approach things in the exact same way. I've heard of others on the board who have gone and just started in on various supplements. I have felt like the supplement queen lately- taking quite a lot of various things I have researched and found out about on the web and through other people. I felt like I didn't really have a set direction and was starting to worry about all I was taking- wondering if there could be interactions to each other, or even if some of the supplements could be interfering with the chemo. Anyhow, it was a really interesting appointment. Obviously, my cancer is main concern and thing I want to focus on, but I also deal with other issues such as allergies and constant congestion- enough so I literally cannot go for 10 or 15 minutes without having to blow or wipe my nose (just flows like clear water. When it's not flowing like clear water, which also results in not being able to hear well due to the fluid being there too). I have been so out of breath lately- I'm always taking deep breaths, sighing to catch my breath, etc. I do have mild asthma and that's also been worse lately, requiring me to take daily meds.
So... it was neat how he just noticed several things in me and was calling out various things he suspected I might be suffering from, and he was right! He asked me to stand up and he pressed and held an area in my upper abdomen which he said was the diaphram. He said my diaphram was closed up, then he pressed and poked a few different areas he said were where a hepatic bile duct was, the adrenal glands, and so on. I instantly noticed that I could take deep breaths into my lungs and was no longer out of breath and even this morning, I'm relishing in the fact that I can breathe! Nothing changed w/ the nasal passages or nasal drip, but my lungs feel so open and able to get so much more air. That was amazing to me! I was there almost 2 hours- he spent time going over all my medical history, medications, etc. I am starting a detox cleanse this Friday (tomorrow). I could start any time, but I need to go shopping today to get the needed veggies. It's an 8 day cleanse where for the first 4 days I can eat only vegetables (and only certain vegetables- nothing else!) then the 5th-8th day I can add in certain grains. In addition to the veggies, the main part of it is predigested food that I'll be taking in shake form, along with digestive enzymes and about 4 other things in there too. One if them is something called Aloe 7000- I have to take a tsp, swish it in my mouth then swallow after each food/enzyme shake. That and something else I'll be taking have to do with candida and detoxing from sugar. This is something I've definitely never done. Never in my life have I gone more than a day or two at most without something sugary. I have a definite sugar addiction, which can result in growth/overgrowth of candida, which can cause all sorts of problems. I'm sure I've not gone more than a day or two without eating meat, also. I've been told I will not feel well while I'm detoxing, but that could even mean it's really working. As toxins are released from the cells, I could feel nausea, dizziness, headache, fever, etc. Apparently, you even have a greater chance of getting colds/flu during this time due to the toxins being released, so I'll be taking something to counteract that too. I'm hoping that I will lose some weight too- I really feel bloated lately & know that I'm retaining fluid in addition to fat. I'm also going to be doing some test soon to check for allergies and sensitivities- some kind of electronic scan type device- not sure about it yet. So this is where it starts. After the detox, I will go in and be tested on various things to see what supplements I need. Although some people with cancer definitely go there and go the all natural route without chemo, he says he has many patients who are on chemo and he will work with that and with my oncologist to better enhance the chemo, maybe even make it work better, and definitely support my whole body and immune system. It wasn't a cheap day yesterday, and I don't know that I can afford to do everything he wants me to do- but I will definitely do some. It really seems to make sense. We'll see how I feel after this cleanse. I have to have the will power.
All this in girl scout cookie week- ugh! My husband just bought 6 boxes of girl scout cookies from someone at work and now I can't have any?
I need prayer for willpower here, lol! (seriously, though!)

I'll check back in and let you know how it goes.
Lisa

Comments

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    Interesting...
    Good stuff, Lisa...I was actually lying in bed last night writing a post in my head about the needs to do supplements vs nothing while in the middle of a chemo regimen. I am unable to draw any conclusions at this point. I've eschewed taking anything this time through to see where this leads me.

    So, I will naturally be following your story so I can compare notes, in case I need to make a bold move or a switch as well.

    Discipline, eh? Their approaches are full of discipline and I wish you well in this portion of your journey. Really curious to see how you fare with this type of treatment.

    Are Naturopaths covered under insurance? Or are they strictly "out of pocket?"

    Best Wishs!
    -Craig
  • just4Brooks
    just4Brooks Member Posts: 980 Member
    Hi Lisa... I hope everything
    Hi Lisa... I hope everything goes okay. I also think you should send all the Thin Mints to me!!
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    out of pocket
    Craig,

    Naturopaths are not covered by most insurances. Apparently, a few rare PPO's will reimburse some of the expense, but not all. My HMO most definitely will not pay for anything. My consultation was $165 for an hour and that was the cheapest of the five differrent ones I called and inquired with. I didn't just go to him because he was the cheapest, though, because he was also recommended by someone I met while hooked up to chemo a few weeks ago. It was between him and one other I was impressed with. But the other impressive guy charged $250 for his consultation. I was assuming prices on other services and supplements they offer would be relevant to how high or low the consultation price is. Well, I didn't get away for just the $165- all the testing, supplements, and follow up visits are more money, of course. I spent $540 yesterday. After the $165 consultation, the rest was all the needed supplements, enzymes, etc. for the detox cleanse. Next time, I think I'll find out what he recommends, then see if I can get it elsewhere for cheaper. I'm sure I could do that.

    Brooks- you can scarf down some thin mints for me! There are two boxes of them sitting on my kitchen counter right now- they are calling my name, big time! I will resist....!


    As I said, I'll let you all know how it goes-
    Lisa
  • dmdwins
    dmdwins Member Posts: 454 Member
    lisa42 said:

    out of pocket
    Craig,

    Naturopaths are not covered by most insurances. Apparently, a few rare PPO's will reimburse some of the expense, but not all. My HMO most definitely will not pay for anything. My consultation was $165 for an hour and that was the cheapest of the five differrent ones I called and inquired with. I didn't just go to him because he was the cheapest, though, because he was also recommended by someone I met while hooked up to chemo a few weeks ago. It was between him and one other I was impressed with. But the other impressive guy charged $250 for his consultation. I was assuming prices on other services and supplements they offer would be relevant to how high or low the consultation price is. Well, I didn't get away for just the $165- all the testing, supplements, and follow up visits are more money, of course. I spent $540 yesterday. After the $165 consultation, the rest was all the needed supplements, enzymes, etc. for the detox cleanse. Next time, I think I'll find out what he recommends, then see if I can get it elsewhere for cheaper. I'm sure I could do that.

    Brooks- you can scarf down some thin mints for me! There are two boxes of them sitting on my kitchen counter right now- they are calling my name, big time! I will resist....!


    As I said, I'll let you all know how it goes-
    Lisa

    Sounds familiar
    Hi Lisa

    It sounds very similiar to the regimine I did in 2007 when I was first diagnosed. It is true that it is tough at first. A whole new way of thinking and eating! In the beginning it was so hard to find things on the list that I could eat and get enough of them!! Initially you may not feel well but remember that soon you will begin to feel much better!!! So know that I will be rooting you on......feel free to PM me if you want.

    Wishing you much success and WILLPOWER!

    Smiles,
    Dawn
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    dmdwins said:

    Sounds familiar
    Hi Lisa

    It sounds very similiar to the regimine I did in 2007 when I was first diagnosed. It is true that it is tough at first. A whole new way of thinking and eating! In the beginning it was so hard to find things on the list that I could eat and get enough of them!! Initially you may not feel well but remember that soon you will begin to feel much better!!! So know that I will be rooting you on......feel free to PM me if you want.

    Wishing you much success and WILLPOWER!

    Smiles,
    Dawn

    YAY YAY LISA!!!!!
    So happy you took the plunge!!!! I know this is going to help you in more ways than one. As far as willpower... Heck..small thing to a giant like you!!!! You have awesome strength and willpower. Keep us posted! Love ya

    Jennie
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    Good luck Lisa
    I hope this works well for you.
  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    Diet changes and supplements
    "predigested food that I'll be taking in shake form"
    I am not sure what that means in terms of identifiable products.

    "along with digestive enzymes ... something called Aloe 7000"
    That sounds great. I know that digestive enzymes have been used in radically varying amounts and formulas, depending on practitioner and the individual, where gut problems and malabsorption seem to be common in CRC. Aloe has very interesting plant extracts with immunodulating and antiflammatory power, even in breaking into mainstream recognition.

    We're all ears, Lisa.
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    tanstaafl said:

    Diet changes and supplements
    "predigested food that I'll be taking in shake form"
    I am not sure what that means in terms of identifiable products.

    "along with digestive enzymes ... something called Aloe 7000"
    That sounds great. I know that digestive enzymes have been used in radically varying amounts and formulas, depending on practitioner and the individual, where gut problems and malabsorption seem to be common in CRC. Aloe has very interesting plant extracts with immunodulating and antiflammatory power, even in breaking into mainstream recognition.

    We're all ears, Lisa.

    great news lisa
    goodluck with detox and the supplements
    i saw a naturopath for 40 min the other day, she worked in a budget vitamin shop
    and was more interested in helping than money.

    just cost nothing for consult, but i left with $300 supplements that seemed cheaper than i purchased elsewherre.

    have found naturopath who works for bowel cancer australia, cannot wait to see her.

    do they recommend plenty of water ?

    pete
  • lmliess
    lmliess Member Posts: 329

    great news lisa
    goodluck with detox and the supplements
    i saw a naturopath for 40 min the other day, she worked in a budget vitamin shop
    and was more interested in helping than money.

    just cost nothing for consult, but i left with $300 supplements that seemed cheaper than i purchased elsewherre.

    have found naturopath who works for bowel cancer australia, cannot wait to see her.

    do they recommend plenty of water ?

    pete

    EXCITING!!
    Hi Lisa - I am so excied for you. I have been working with a natural path too and I always feel I can take on the world in a healthy way after the (expensive!) consult! I had to prepare for my colonoscopy this week so I couldn't take my supplements and I sure felt it. Now I am ready to get back on them Friday. (Which by the way, my colonscopy was clean and I dont have to go back for 2 years!)
    Can you elaborate on yor cleanse a little more? I feel yucky after having to down 64 oz of gaterade which is loaded with high fructose syrup and I would love to get off my sugar cravings!!
    Good luck and I am excited for you!

    Oh did he say anything to you aout cell salts? My natural path has me sarted on those. You can google that and get a good overview.

    Linda
  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    lisa42 said:

    out of pocket
    Craig,

    Naturopaths are not covered by most insurances. Apparently, a few rare PPO's will reimburse some of the expense, but not all. My HMO most definitely will not pay for anything. My consultation was $165 for an hour and that was the cheapest of the five differrent ones I called and inquired with. I didn't just go to him because he was the cheapest, though, because he was also recommended by someone I met while hooked up to chemo a few weeks ago. It was between him and one other I was impressed with. But the other impressive guy charged $250 for his consultation. I was assuming prices on other services and supplements they offer would be relevant to how high or low the consultation price is. Well, I didn't get away for just the $165- all the testing, supplements, and follow up visits are more money, of course. I spent $540 yesterday. After the $165 consultation, the rest was all the needed supplements, enzymes, etc. for the detox cleanse. Next time, I think I'll find out what he recommends, then see if I can get it elsewhere for cheaper. I'm sure I could do that.

    Brooks- you can scarf down some thin mints for me! There are two boxes of them sitting on my kitchen counter right now- they are calling my name, big time! I will resist....!


    As I said, I'll let you all know how it goes-
    Lisa

    insurance and sugar
    Some states do support or require inclusion of insurance coverage for ND visits as a matter of policy.
    ------
    My wife totally overhauled her diet on sugar and starch (dumped), uses more colored and cruciferous vegetables, now. She feels the difference, great, considers her former existence like an addiction. We use refined stevia powder (~45 mg = 1 tsp sugar) as the sweetner. We also used L-glutamine, B complex, and large vitamin C to reduce the cravings, along with lots of nutrient supplements generally.

    Normal B complex formulas usually have folic acid that interacts with 5FU chemo, more cytocidal action, but much more toxicity for perhaps half the population. We were finally able to get oral folinic acid (leucovorin, calcium folinate) to replace all folate in all supplements, rebuilding the multiple vitamin supplementation from scratch(!), with medical review. Controlling total folate or leucovorin does require some attention to detail while on chemo.
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    more info
    Thanks for all of your feedback you guys! I will let you know if I need advice, Scouty- thanks!
    To be more specific, I looked at what I've been given/told to take, for any of you interested. This is what I'll be doing: Days 1-4, Allowed vegetables not on the "taboo" list, oils, seasonings and the supplements. Days 5-8: same as days 1-4, plus allowed non-gluten grains (one different one each day). Veggies must be raw or steamed without oil. Oil can be added for flavor after cooking. Recommended oils: organic extra virgin coconut oil, olive oil, sesame, sunflower, or saflower oil. Recommended 6 Tbsp of oils per day.
    Recommended non-gluten grains for days 5-8 are quinoa, amaranth, millet or buckwheat groats (of those I'm only familiar w/ quinoa, since a couple of the Kashi frozen meals have it in there). Interesting about veggies on the taboo list... taboo foods list is too long to list here, but tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, avocados, lima beans, peppers, red beans are among the list. Things on the list are fungus feeders or allergens. They won't all be banned forever, but during the cleanse and some can be added back slowly. Carrots are on the list because they have a high sugar content and are a fungus feeder.
    The supplements I'll be taking 3x a day are these:
    E-7 (a protein powder whole food to be mixed in shake form), Renew (what they call a Life fiber to cleanse the bowels), Biozyme (Enzymes to digest protein and also "digest" certain microorganisms), Aloe 7000 (a concentrated aloe vera product, which supposedly creates an environment inhospitable to yeast and other anaerobic microorganisms. It will help curb sugar and bread cravings and will support the upper respiratory system while on the cleanse), Potassium, Calcium, Kona Gold (to help w/ flu like symptoms from the detox), Metholate Detox capsules (have lots in them), and AdvaClear capsules(seems to be a whole food type vitamin type support). I am also asked to drink lots of pure water to flush things out & the only other beverage than water I'm allowed is non caffeinated herbal teas (with no sweetener or milk added).
    Someone above mentioned gluathione, I think- both glutamine and glutathione are in the metholate capsules, among lots of other stuff.

    So, here I go tomorrow & I'll report back in after a couple of days of and let you know how I'm doing.

    Cheers,
    Lisa
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    Good for you Lisa!
    It all sounds reasonable to me. Yes it can be expensive which I find to be absurb. When I stopped chemo I was saving my insurance co. over $40,000 per month and when I called to ask about any help with my "new" bills, they just laughed.

    The first think you will notice will be the disappearance of your bloating. Not eating grains or dairy products takes care of that really quickly. My detox was much more gradual (8 weeks) and I only felt lousy the first week when I stopped sodas. Be prepared for some interesting smells, my BO really got stronger! And watch out no only for the physical symptoms but the mental and emotional ones too. I cried at the drop of a hat for 10 days to 2 weeks.

    As far as cravings go, if you don't eat anything that spikes your blood sugar, you won't have cravings!

    Oh and the thin mints freeze really well. Get them off the counter and in the freezer out of sight now so you'll have something to reward yourself with in a few months.

    Let me know if I can help in any way since I've kind of been there and done that much like Dawn.

    I hope you have all the successes that I did and MORE. Keep us posted.

    Lisa P.
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    Go for it!
    Hey, Lisa.

    I'll be very interested to find out how this goes. Sounds promising!

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    Sundanceh said:

    Interesting...
    Good stuff, Lisa...I was actually lying in bed last night writing a post in my head about the needs to do supplements vs nothing while in the middle of a chemo regimen. I am unable to draw any conclusions at this point. I've eschewed taking anything this time through to see where this leads me.

    So, I will naturally be following your story so I can compare notes, in case I need to make a bold move or a switch as well.

    Discipline, eh? Their approaches are full of discipline and I wish you well in this portion of your journey. Really curious to see how you fare with this type of treatment.

    Are Naturopaths covered under insurance? Or are they strictly "out of pocket?"

    Best Wishs!
    -Craig

    Eat healthy
    If you are afraid of supplements, go natural, eat them!
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    tootsie1 said:

    Go for it!
    Hey, Lisa.

    I'll be very interested to find out how this goes. Sounds promising!

    *hugs*
    Gail

    Lisa. I am so glad!!!!
    Lisa. I am so glad!!!!

    Read that even a cold/fever has the ability to break down a tumor (now board don't challenge me). The allergen test is a must because your body could be fighting things that you aren't even aware of!! Aloe, I take a shot every day, my 100 year old grandmother has been taking it for centries!

    It is possible to break up those mets! You will do it!!!

    I would like to do that cleanse also!

    That sugar craving is the cancer, don't be tempted!
  • grannyc
    grannyc Member Posts: 63
    Nana b said:

    Lisa. I am so glad!!!!
    Lisa. I am so glad!!!!

    Read that even a cold/fever has the ability to break down a tumor (now board don't challenge me). The allergen test is a must because your body could be fighting things that you aren't even aware of!! Aloe, I take a shot every day, my 100 year old grandmother has been taking it for centries!

    It is possible to break up those mets! You will do it!!!

    I would like to do that cleanse also!

    That sugar craving is the cancer, don't be tempted!

    my naturalpath is an MD
    my naturalpath is an MD si he is covered by insurance but the supplements are expensive.
    I have been seeing my guy since diag in Oct 2007


    Next week I am going to see a guy in my doctors office who does accupuncture and practices TCM, he trained in China at their oncology university. Hw works with cancer patients mostly. I am excited to get his input on my treatment and what he might have to offer.

    Good luck with the cleanse Lisa...my cleanse was 21 days....don't really want to do it again but we have done harder things, haven't we?

    GrannyC
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    grannyc said:

    my naturalpath is an MD
    my naturalpath is an MD si he is covered by insurance but the supplements are expensive.
    I have been seeing my guy since diag in Oct 2007


    Next week I am going to see a guy in my doctors office who does accupuncture and practices TCM, he trained in China at their oncology university. Hw works with cancer patients mostly. I am excited to get his input on my treatment and what he might have to offer.

    Good luck with the cleanse Lisa...my cleanse was 21 days....don't really want to do it again but we have done harder things, haven't we?

    GrannyC

    lisa42..........
    you know I wish the very best for you in this.......remember, He will be right there with you.........Love to you and yours.......Clift
  • sasjourney
    sasjourney Member Posts: 395 Member
    Sounds Great!
    Lisa,

    I have a good feeling about this. Keep us posted on how you are doing. I know it won't be easy, but it is definitely easier than chemo. You can do it!!!! Just keep focusing on killing cancer!!!

    It was great to talk to you the other day. Hope we can get together soon. I know things will get better. I have a lot of faith that God has great plans for us and He knows we are needed here for our families and friends. You are always in my prayers. Stay strong, my friend.

    Hugs,

    Sara