Has anyone read the China Study?

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lilrusty
lilrusty Member Posts: 49
edited December 2011 in Esophageal Cancer #1
A friend of mine sent me the China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Havent finished it yet, but was wondering if anyone with EC or any other cancer got results from a raw plant food diet. My husband is stage IV, he is able to eat almost anything now. He hasn't used his feeding tube in two months.His first CT-Scan after four rounds of chemo showed cancer is shrinking in esophagus and stomach. I have been feeding him more for calories than health. My question is: Has anyone became cancer free from this type of diet? I keep second guessing our decisions. All input is welcomed.
Love & Peace
Chrissy

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  • JReed
    JReed Member Posts: 428
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    China Study
    Would seem that for sure the calories, vitamins and nutrients you are providing your hubby of raw fruits and vegetables (are you doing raw juices?) are of value. Personally, I like raw juices - my fav is one orange, two carrots, two apples and just about an inch of ginger - it tastes very good even though my husband tried it and didn't like it. I did return the juicer to the store, but I'm sure I'll be going back to buy one as we make our way through this stupid cancer journey.

    Keep me posted on how you all are doing - I think the raw plant foods is a good thing even if only for the wonderful nutrition you are providing.

    Hugs,
    Judy
  • Daisylin
    Daisylin Member Posts: 365
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    JReed said:

    China Study
    Would seem that for sure the calories, vitamins and nutrients you are providing your hubby of raw fruits and vegetables (are you doing raw juices?) are of value. Personally, I like raw juices - my fav is one orange, two carrots, two apples and just about an inch of ginger - it tastes very good even though my husband tried it and didn't like it. I did return the juicer to the store, but I'm sure I'll be going back to buy one as we make our way through this stupid cancer journey.

    Keep me posted on how you all are doing - I think the raw plant foods is a good thing even if only for the wonderful nutrition you are providing.

    Hugs,
    Judy

    raw plant diet
    I am certainly no expert on this matter, but first off, healthy eating is always a great idea, however, you need to make sure he is getting enough calories. Any weight loss with cancer is not a good thing, and he needs to either gain or maintain his weight. In my opinion, a varied version of this diet would probably be good. Maybe stay away from the processed foods, but try to keep a balance of the food groups, and incorporate the raw foods. I read a bit about it this morning, and it seems like there are lots of negatives involved, such as low b12, weak bones, weight loss, hormonal changes etc. I didn't read specifically about the China study, but the raw plant diet seemed to come with more risks than advantages, and there did not seem to be any documented proof that it has any cancer fighting benefits.

    Years ago, I watched a documentary about some commune or something that subscribed to the raw plant diet, and they were all shockingly thin, pale and very unhealthy looking. I don't even remember what the show was about, but it really stuck with me, how emaciated they all were. This is the last thing you need!

    wish you well on your decision!
    Chantal
  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
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    Chrissy,
    First

    Chrissy,

    First congratulations on your report - you say your husband can eat mostly anything he wants, hasn't used his feeding tube in two months and his last scan showed the cancer was shrinking. And yes he is Stage IV. My question is what are you second guessing??? The apparent success of his treatment and your current approach to keep his weight up?

    Nutrition is helpful, and yes it can give us energy and improve our bodies abilities to fight but from all I have heard it is unlikely to cure Stage IV EC. I would say that your current approach seems to be working, and you are very fortunate that your husband has had such a good response. I haven't read the study but would be skeptical about anyone offering a cure for Stage IV EC through diet alone.

    Best of luck,
    Cindy
  • Chrissy,
    First

    Chrissy,

    First congratulations on your report - you say your husband can eat mostly anything he wants, hasn't used his feeding tube in two months and his last scan showed the cancer was shrinking. And yes he is Stage IV. My question is what are you second guessing??? The apparent success of his treatment and your current approach to keep his weight up?

    Nutrition is helpful, and yes it can give us energy and improve our bodies abilities to fight but from all I have heard it is unlikely to cure Stage IV EC. I would say that your current approach seems to be working, and you are very fortunate that your husband has had such a good response. I haven't read the study but would be skeptical about anyone offering a cure for Stage IV EC through diet alone.

    Best of luck,
    Cindy

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  • lilrusty
    lilrusty Member Posts: 49
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    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Thank You
    Thank you for the honest answers.Every time I turn aroundsomeones telling me to read this, try that. I feel like if I dont Im going to miss something that could help him. I'v been focused more on weight gain rather than healthy. Im introducing foods back into his diet but it seems with the chemo his taste is not the same. He has gained some weight back but we still got about 20lbs to go. His treatment hasn't been to bad, hes tired more now with the chemo, but he keeps on going. Im with you Sherri, if these type of diets helped or cured cancer like they claim then none of us would be suffering in this EC hell. We go on the 14th for second CT-Scan. Eight rounds of chemo done. I dont think i would beable to handle all this without this site. I've only been on since Sept. but Ive come to depend on it for the good, the bad and the ugly. Again thank you
    Strenght & Love
    Chrissy
  • Cora11
    Cora11 Member Posts: 173
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    lilrusty said:

    Thank You
    Thank you for the honest answers.Every time I turn aroundsomeones telling me to read this, try that. I feel like if I dont Im going to miss something that could help him. I'v been focused more on weight gain rather than healthy. Im introducing foods back into his diet but it seems with the chemo his taste is not the same. He has gained some weight back but we still got about 20lbs to go. His treatment hasn't been to bad, hes tired more now with the chemo, but he keeps on going. Im with you Sherri, if these type of diets helped or cured cancer like they claim then none of us would be suffering in this EC hell. We go on the 14th for second CT-Scan. Eight rounds of chemo done. I dont think i would beable to handle all this without this site. I've only been on since Sept. but Ive come to depend on it for the good, the bad and the ugly. Again thank you
    Strenght & Love
    Chrissy

    diet etc
    Hey Chrissy,
    So happy to hear that your husband is eating more and gaining weight. Nutrition has always been a big interest of mine ( and as a nurse when I was working I specialized in diabetes) so the irony in our lives is that we have always eaten a super healthy diet- low on the food chain, rich in anti-oxidants, organic. I'm a vegetarian and Keith never ate any red meat. We have always juiced. Now that Keith has just had surgery, I can't stand the kind of food I am giving him, so calorie dense and all the cream and stuff. But, it does the job in terms of calories. I've worked with a lot of dietitians in my career and the things that they've talked a lot about in regards to cancer are to remove the processed soy from the diet,( fermented soy is ok) no processed meats or other processed food and try to use as much of a plant based, colorful diet as possible. I think with EC though it's about balancing nutrition and calories and like you said, what tastes good. The juice that I make now is cucumber, kale, apple, carrot. I put that in the fridge and Keith is starting to drink some of it. That is a good way right now for him to get greens in his diet, slowly but surely.
    Sending strength and love back,
    Cora