A cover story from the Santa Barbara News-Press last fall reported that viral infection has been found to be the cause of heart attack and stroke. The story reported that Cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be the culprit. It is highly infectious and 40% of all adults have it by the age of 40.
My family has a significant history of heart attack and stroke - our #1 killer, not cancer. I've been struck by how my paternal grandparents died like bookends, almost identical deterioration and death. My parents also suffered almost identical long, slow deaths from heart attack and stroke.
Viral infection would explain this phenomenon. My grandparents were infected with the same virus and my father contracted it from them and passed it on to my mother.
My father had cholesterol levels over 300. Whenever his doctor got his levels under 200 with cholesterol-lowering drugs, he would have a series of lacunar strokes, where tiny blood vessels disintegrate. When he would quit the drugs due to their side effects, he would stop having strokes.
It occurs to me that the body may raise blood cholesterol to repair the damage to the blood vessels caused by this viral infection. Cholesterol plaques occur in blood vessels where they experience the most trauma, e.g. high-flow areas. Cholesterol deposits may actually plug the holes that form in blood vessel walls, like plugging the leaks in a retaining wall.
Lowering my father's cholesterol levels actually harmed him. He apparently needed sky-high levels to maintain the integrity of his blood vessels, to prevent disintegration of the vessels resulting in stroke. He also had an abdominal aortic aneurysm that enlarged only when he was on cholesterol-lowering drugs.
My father and paternal grandmother both developed adult-onset diabetes after becoming seriously ill with congestive heart failure. When I pulled a jar of jam out of the back of my fridge and found it was still good after being back there a long time, it occurred to me that sugar is a very effective preservative. It burns microorganisms just like it burns the walls of blood vessels in diabetics.
It seems plausible that when the virus that causes heart disease inflames and damages blood vessels, the body responds defensively. Triggering insulin resistance, thus elevating blood sugar levels, may be a defense mechanism, scorching viral particles in the blood stream like napalm. Too much blood sugar ultimately damages the blood vessels, but this side effect may not be as harmful as allowing the viral infection to progress unopposed.
When people with high cholesterol and blood sugar levels improve their diets and exercise regularly, their numbers usually improve. Healthy diets and exercise greatly strengthen the immune system and increase antioxidants in the body. I believe diet and exercise help normalize cholesterol and blood sugar levels by fighting the underlying viral infection. When the infection improves, the cholesterol and sugar levels improve.
I believe elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels are a response to the viral infection that causes heart attack and stroke; they are not diseases in and of themselves. The severity of these levels is an indicator of how severe the infection is. It can serve as a useful marker.
I believe that if we find an effective treatment for this viral infection, cholesterol and blood sugar levels will normalize on their own. We need to focus on treating the underlying infection to improve these levels.
Aggressively lowering cholesterol levels prevents blood vessel repair and leads to vessel disintegration and stroke. Cholesterol-lowering drugs are the #1 prescribed class of drugs in the world. We're on the wrong track here. It'll cost the big pharmaceutical companies a lot of profit, but we need to stop the cholesterol-lowering drugs and focus on curing the underlying infection.
Until a cure for viral infection is discovered, we must help ourselves with diet, exercise and antioxidants like Omega-3 and CoQ10 to fight the infection.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Trojan Horse Theory of The Start and Spread of Cancer
In my last post I described the known scientific fact that fungal organisms invade cells and shut off programmed cell death (apoptosis), a very likely mechanism for carcinogenesis. This known fungal action made me wonder, Why? Why would fungi evolve to behave in this manner? How do fungi benefit from shutting off apoptosis?
Then, it occurred to me. When apoptosis is shut off, the cells divide uncontrollably, rapidly producing huge numbers of cancer cells. If fungi are inside the cell reproducing themselves, all of the new cells produced by the uncontrolled cell division will contain fungi just like the original infected cells. One of the tell-tale signs under the microscope that a cell is cancerous is that the cell's cytoplasm appears "foamy". I suspect this foamy appearance is caused by many newly-formed fungal organisms. They are not visible as fungi unless they are treated with stains that are specific for fungi.
So, when fungi proliferate inside cells and shut off the cells' apoptosis, the result is huge numbers of fungi-containing cancer cells. The fungi are relatively hidden from the immune system inside the cells, so they can continue to proliferate without interference from the body's defenses. The cancer cells can break off from the original infection (primary tumor) and enter the lymphatic system and blood vessels, carrying the fungi to all parts of the body where they can start new infections (metastases).
When so many cancer cells and new fungal organisms are created they greatly outnumber the number of white blood cells in the body, the patient dies. Then the fungus can feed on its victim with no interference from the host's defenses.
I call this theory the "Trojan Horse Theory" because cancer cells serve as Trojan horses for the fungal infection, hiding the invaders and transporting them past the host's defenses to new parts of the body. I picture them like bad teenagers stealing a car and taking it on a joy ride, careening recklessly around the body, bent on no good.
This theory fits with the natural behavior of fungi. Unlike viruses, they do not need a living host to reproduce. All they need is food to feed on and the only thing keeping them from gobbling us up is our immune systems. Causing cancer enables them to overwhelm our immune systems, kill us, and consume us entirely (rot).
It would be a simple matter to PROVE THE PRESENCE OF FUNGI INSIDE CANCER CELLS in the lab. Perform immunohistocytochemistry on microscopic slides of hormone-dependent malignant tumors: An antigen that binds a protein found only in fungi, not mammals, needs to be obtained. Bind the antigen to a fluorescent compound that fluoresces under the microscope. Then stain the microscopic slides of tumors with the antigen-fluorescein compound and examine the slides under the microscope.
These slides will show the cytoplasm of the cancer cells FILLED with fungi. Under fluorescent light, the cancer cells will light up like fireworks under the microscope.
Slides of cervical cancer could be used as controls for comparison, since cervical cancer is caused by a virus, human papilloma virus (HPV).
Staining slides is a relatively inexpensive research technique, but would quickly and easily allow visualization of fungi inside every hormone-dependent cancer cell.
Please contact me if you are acquainted with cancer activists or cancer researchers who might be interested in discussing this "Trojan Horse Theory of Carcinogenesis" with me.
Then, it occurred to me. When apoptosis is shut off, the cells divide uncontrollably, rapidly producing huge numbers of cancer cells. If fungi are inside the cell reproducing themselves, all of the new cells produced by the uncontrolled cell division will contain fungi just like the original infected cells. One of the tell-tale signs under the microscope that a cell is cancerous is that the cell's cytoplasm appears "foamy". I suspect this foamy appearance is caused by many newly-formed fungal organisms. They are not visible as fungi unless they are treated with stains that are specific for fungi.
So, when fungi proliferate inside cells and shut off the cells' apoptosis, the result is huge numbers of fungi-containing cancer cells. The fungi are relatively hidden from the immune system inside the cells, so they can continue to proliferate without interference from the body's defenses. The cancer cells can break off from the original infection (primary tumor) and enter the lymphatic system and blood vessels, carrying the fungi to all parts of the body where they can start new infections (metastases).
When so many cancer cells and new fungal organisms are created they greatly outnumber the number of white blood cells in the body, the patient dies. Then the fungus can feed on its victim with no interference from the host's defenses.
I call this theory the "Trojan Horse Theory" because cancer cells serve as Trojan horses for the fungal infection, hiding the invaders and transporting them past the host's defenses to new parts of the body. I picture them like bad teenagers stealing a car and taking it on a joy ride, careening recklessly around the body, bent on no good.
This theory fits with the natural behavior of fungi. Unlike viruses, they do not need a living host to reproduce. All they need is food to feed on and the only thing keeping them from gobbling us up is our immune systems. Causing cancer enables them to overwhelm our immune systems, kill us, and consume us entirely (rot).
It would be a simple matter to PROVE THE PRESENCE OF FUNGI INSIDE CANCER CELLS in the lab. Perform immunohistocytochemistry on microscopic slides of hormone-dependent malignant tumors: An antigen that binds a protein found only in fungi, not mammals, needs to be obtained. Bind the antigen to a fluorescent compound that fluoresces under the microscope. Then stain the microscopic slides of tumors with the antigen-fluorescein compound and examine the slides under the microscope.
These slides will show the cytoplasm of the cancer cells FILLED with fungi. Under fluorescent light, the cancer cells will light up like fireworks under the microscope.
Slides of cervical cancer could be used as controls for comparison, since cervical cancer is caused by a virus, human papilloma virus (HPV).
Staining slides is a relatively inexpensive research technique, but would quickly and easily allow visualization of fungi inside every hormone-dependent cancer cell.
Please contact me if you are acquainted with cancer activists or cancer researchers who might be interested in discussing this "Trojan Horse Theory of Carcinogenesis" with me.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Every Cancer Begins As An Infection
I am certain that all cancers begin as infections. The medical education I received at the University of Chicago and the experiences I've had as a Stage 4 breast cancer patient have made that crystal clear to me. Every mystery about cancer, everything we do not understand, is explained and crystal clear when you look at cancer as the result of an infection altering the body's functions.
I've started a literature search online to find the mechanism by which a fungal infection could trigger carcinogenesis (the "start" of cancer). The very first reference I found had the answer, a review entitled, "Fungal Invasion of Normally Non-Phagocytic Host Cells," by Scott G. Filler and Donald C. Sheppard, PLoS Pathog 2(12): e129.doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.0020129.
In this review, the authors describe how fungal organisms trigger healthy cells like skin and lung cells to absorb them. This means that in any fungal infection, the infecting organisms are located INSIDE the cells, where they can disrupt a cell's normal functions.
In addition, the review describes how some fungi block apoptosis in the cells they infect. Apoptosis is programmed cell death, the chemical signals that tell a cell when it's time to die, that give cells a definite lifespan. Without programmed cell death, the cells become immortal, multiplying out of control. Loss of apoptosis is the very heart of carcinogenesis.
An example given in the review describes how Aspergillus fumigatus (tree mold), a common human pathogen, infects lung cells (type II pneumocytes) when the mold spores are inhaled and how Aspergillus blocks apoptosis in the lung cells. This is a clear, simple mechanism for the start of lung cancer. Everyone inhales mold spores, probably on a daily basis. When the spores are absorbed into our lung cells and apoptosis is blocked, the cells are transformed into cancer cells. Our immune systems detect the altered cells and destroy them before they can multiply into tumors. Smokers are unable to destroy these cancer cells because their physical defenses and immune systems are damaged by the tar and nicotine they inhale, so the cancer cells multiply into malignant tumors.
I am dumbfounded that this information is already in the literature but has been overlooked by researchers. EVERYONE wants to find the cure for cancer and the assumption that cancer is caused by defective genes has NOT led to a cure despite decades of research. The death rate due to cancer has never improved! The answer is under our noses and the basic facts are already in the literature.
Every cancer begins as an infection. Some start as viral infections, like cervical cancer, some start as fungal infections, like my breast cancer. Other types of human pathogens may cause cancer as well. We'll know when we start looking for the causative organisms in malignant tissue specimens.
The cure for the most common types of cancer is so close! Medications that cure these infections already exist and are already FDA-approved. We just need to make the connection so these effective medications can be used to save cancer patients!
If you know any medical researchers or cancer activists you believe would be interested in what I'm saying and would want to pursue it, PLEASE forward this blog to them or email me so I can contact them.
Cancer patients are dying every day. We need to begin administering effective anti-infective medication to them ASAP. Every day lost means more lives lost.
I've started a literature search online to find the mechanism by which a fungal infection could trigger carcinogenesis (the "start" of cancer). The very first reference I found had the answer, a review entitled, "Fungal Invasion of Normally Non-Phagocytic Host Cells," by Scott G. Filler and Donald C. Sheppard, PLoS Pathog 2(12): e129.doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.0020129.
In this review, the authors describe how fungal organisms trigger healthy cells like skin and lung cells to absorb them. This means that in any fungal infection, the infecting organisms are located INSIDE the cells, where they can disrupt a cell's normal functions.
In addition, the review describes how some fungi block apoptosis in the cells they infect. Apoptosis is programmed cell death, the chemical signals that tell a cell when it's time to die, that give cells a definite lifespan. Without programmed cell death, the cells become immortal, multiplying out of control. Loss of apoptosis is the very heart of carcinogenesis.
An example given in the review describes how Aspergillus fumigatus (tree mold), a common human pathogen, infects lung cells (type II pneumocytes) when the mold spores are inhaled and how Aspergillus blocks apoptosis in the lung cells. This is a clear, simple mechanism for the start of lung cancer. Everyone inhales mold spores, probably on a daily basis. When the spores are absorbed into our lung cells and apoptosis is blocked, the cells are transformed into cancer cells. Our immune systems detect the altered cells and destroy them before they can multiply into tumors. Smokers are unable to destroy these cancer cells because their physical defenses and immune systems are damaged by the tar and nicotine they inhale, so the cancer cells multiply into malignant tumors.
I am dumbfounded that this information is already in the literature but has been overlooked by researchers. EVERYONE wants to find the cure for cancer and the assumption that cancer is caused by defective genes has NOT led to a cure despite decades of research. The death rate due to cancer has never improved! The answer is under our noses and the basic facts are already in the literature.
Every cancer begins as an infection. Some start as viral infections, like cervical cancer, some start as fungal infections, like my breast cancer. Other types of human pathogens may cause cancer as well. We'll know when we start looking for the causative organisms in malignant tissue specimens.
The cure for the most common types of cancer is so close! Medications that cure these infections already exist and are already FDA-approved. We just need to make the connection so these effective medications can be used to save cancer patients!
If you know any medical researchers or cancer activists you believe would be interested in what I'm saying and would want to pursue it, PLEASE forward this blog to them or email me so I can contact them.
Cancer patients are dying every day. We need to begin administering effective anti-infective medication to them ASAP. Every day lost means more lives lost.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Cancer Is The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me
My oncologist has a plaque in his office that reads, "Every Journey Has Its Blessings." I feel blessed by the wonderful people I've met on my journey, doctors, friends and complete strangers, and their amazing kindness. My wonder at the kindness I've experienced has made me a better person.
I think we're defined by the difficulties we overcome. We're at our best when we have to rise to the occasion. We need challenges to become the very best we can be. Rolling over Stage 4 breast cancer like a tank has revealed strength I never knew I had.
There have been some very dark times. I've had setbacks that made me believe my time was very short. I would lie in bed at night staring into the darkness. Some people find religion at such a time; what I felt was an overwhelming need to be part of something that would survive my physical death. It strengthened my feeling of connection to everyone struggling with cancer. It strengthened my resolve to keep other people from dying of cancer by making it known that all cancers start as infection so that a cure can be found.
I saw an author on a talkshow recently who had written a book about her cranky, pessimistic approach to her own cancer treatment and how she thought all the talk about improving cancer survival by being positive and upbeat was a load of crap. I can (sort of) see her side because I've certainly been pessimistic about my chances of survival.
There's a lot of research that has shown that positive attitudes strengthen the immune system and enhance survival with cancer. Research has shown that women with breast cancer and men with AIDS have significantly longer survival when they attend support groups. Read the book, "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life" by David Servan-Schreiber for more proof.
The thing is, you have to GRIEVE! You have to grieve for the hopes and plans you had for your future life and for the excellent health you had and for the fear of pain and helplessness. When you reach a point of acceptance of the drastic change in your life, REBOUND! Start kicking butt, starting with your own. Never stop fighting. I'm often told to live in the moment, but I can't. I have to keep fighting. I wouldn't still be here if I didn't.
The important thing is that you have to grieve and you are entitled to it. Have a good wallow - you deserve it. Then kick some butt.
Let's get cancer cured so no one has to endure those long, dark nights.
I think we're defined by the difficulties we overcome. We're at our best when we have to rise to the occasion. We need challenges to become the very best we can be. Rolling over Stage 4 breast cancer like a tank has revealed strength I never knew I had.
There have been some very dark times. I've had setbacks that made me believe my time was very short. I would lie in bed at night staring into the darkness. Some people find religion at such a time; what I felt was an overwhelming need to be part of something that would survive my physical death. It strengthened my feeling of connection to everyone struggling with cancer. It strengthened my resolve to keep other people from dying of cancer by making it known that all cancers start as infection so that a cure can be found.
I saw an author on a talkshow recently who had written a book about her cranky, pessimistic approach to her own cancer treatment and how she thought all the talk about improving cancer survival by being positive and upbeat was a load of crap. I can (sort of) see her side because I've certainly been pessimistic about my chances of survival.
There's a lot of research that has shown that positive attitudes strengthen the immune system and enhance survival with cancer. Research has shown that women with breast cancer and men with AIDS have significantly longer survival when they attend support groups. Read the book, "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life" by David Servan-Schreiber for more proof.
The thing is, you have to GRIEVE! You have to grieve for the hopes and plans you had for your future life and for the excellent health you had and for the fear of pain and helplessness. When you reach a point of acceptance of the drastic change in your life, REBOUND! Start kicking butt, starting with your own. Never stop fighting. I'm often told to live in the moment, but I can't. I have to keep fighting. I wouldn't still be here if I didn't.
The important thing is that you have to grieve and you are entitled to it. Have a good wallow - you deserve it. Then kick some butt.
Let's get cancer cured so no one has to endure those long, dark nights.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tamoxifen Has Been Found To Be An Effective Antifungal Medicine
It was announced on the major news services this past August that researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered that Tamoxifen is an effective antifungal agent.
Tamoxifen is the pill that is given to breast cancer patients for 5 years after they have finished chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of their cancer.
The U of R researchers believe that Tamoxifen can be used to treat life-threatening infections of the blood by fungi like Candida.
Obviously, if you've read my blog, it is clear to me why Tamoxifen is effective against both breast cancer and fungal infection - breast cancer is CAUSED by fungal disease.
I emailed the lead researcher today. Here is what I wrote to him:
I've read with interest about your discovery that Tamoxifen is an effective anti-fungal agent. I am an OBGYN.
I also have Stage 4 breast cancer. I contracted an aggressive skin fungal infection that spread to my breast tissue and formed a mass in less than a week's time. Biopsy of the mass showed deeply invasive carcinoma. The cancer spread to my chest wall and sternum while I was waiting for my staging PET scan.
That was 2 years ago. I'm still alive and living an essentially normal life because my oncologist listened to my story - that the carcinoma started from an aggressive fungal infection - and treated me with Caspofungin. The disease had continued to spread painfully through me despite chemo. Caspofungin stopped its progress. I'm certain Stage 4 breast cancer patients die despite chemo because the underlying disease process is left untreated.
I ask that you consider the possibility that Tamoxifen is effective against both breast cancer and fungal disease because breast cancer is in fact caused by fungal disease.
It is my heartfelt wish that medical research be done that ties breast cancer to fungal infection so that other breast cancer patients can survive as I have.
Best regards,
Julia White, MD
I'll keep you posted whether I receive a response from him.
I will continue to contact medical researchers in the hope that the idea that the most common forms of cancer in the US are caused by infection, including fungal infection, will interest researchers in pursuing that line of research, lead to the discovery of the fungal etiology of these cancers and lead to a real cure in the very near future.
Tamoxifen is the pill that is given to breast cancer patients for 5 years after they have finished chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of their cancer.
The U of R researchers believe that Tamoxifen can be used to treat life-threatening infections of the blood by fungi like Candida.
Obviously, if you've read my blog, it is clear to me why Tamoxifen is effective against both breast cancer and fungal infection - breast cancer is CAUSED by fungal disease.
I emailed the lead researcher today. Here is what I wrote to him:
I've read with interest about your discovery that Tamoxifen is an effective anti-fungal agent. I am an OBGYN.
I also have Stage 4 breast cancer. I contracted an aggressive skin fungal infection that spread to my breast tissue and formed a mass in less than a week's time. Biopsy of the mass showed deeply invasive carcinoma. The cancer spread to my chest wall and sternum while I was waiting for my staging PET scan.
That was 2 years ago. I'm still alive and living an essentially normal life because my oncologist listened to my story - that the carcinoma started from an aggressive fungal infection - and treated me with Caspofungin. The disease had continued to spread painfully through me despite chemo. Caspofungin stopped its progress. I'm certain Stage 4 breast cancer patients die despite chemo because the underlying disease process is left untreated.
I ask that you consider the possibility that Tamoxifen is effective against both breast cancer and fungal disease because breast cancer is in fact caused by fungal disease.
It is my heartfelt wish that medical research be done that ties breast cancer to fungal infection so that other breast cancer patients can survive as I have.
Best regards,
Julia White, MD
I'll keep you posted whether I receive a response from him.
I will continue to contact medical researchers in the hope that the idea that the most common forms of cancer in the US are caused by infection, including fungal infection, will interest researchers in pursuing that line of research, lead to the discovery of the fungal etiology of these cancers and lead to a real cure in the very near future.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Ways to Improve Your Quality of Life During Cancer Treatment
Tomorrow I celebrate the 2nd anniversary of my being diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, "celebrate" because I am still alive and thriving 2 years after receiving a death sentence. I am alive because the infection that caused my cancer has been and is being treated, but there are methods I've discovered to improve my survival chances and live an essentially normal life and I want to share those with you.
1. First and most importantly, Traditional Chinese Medicine is extremely effective, gentle and a perfect complement to standard Western medicine. My acupuncturist has saved my life just as my oncologist has, on multiple occasions. I'm taking Chinese herbs that keep my blood counts up so I am able to receive chemo every week without interruptions due to low blood cell counts. These same herbs are the most effective antidepressant I've ever encountered, with no side effects! I feel great and I roll like a tank over every setback. I would have curled up and died from despair without it.
I'm also taking an herb formula that combats the deeply invasive fungal infection that caused my breast cancer. I am slowly but steadily improving on it, with decreased pain in my cancerous sternum and breast, increased energy levels and weight gain. (The sicker I am, the more weight I lose. In my situation, fat is good!)
My acupuncturist has been extremely effective in treating the complications I've experienced from chemotherapy. I've broken 2 ribs just by shifting position. They didn't heal until my acupuncturist treated them, and it took only one treatment! He's cleared up the bad swelling in my legs and the lymphedema in my left arm. He cleared up the sciatica in my left leg with one treatment. I could go on! There are no side effects from acupuncture.
Cancer patients need Chinese medicine at the same time as standard Western treatment! Because the treatments are subtle and take time to work, it's best to start before your condition is desperate.
2. "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life," is a brilliant book by David Servan-Schreiber, MD. He's a physician and medical researcher diagnosed with brain cancer 15 years ago who went out and found the research on diet and other non-medical treatments to help combat cancer and compiled them in this book. It is essential reading. I now take 6 Omega-6 capsules a day and drink green tea instead of coffee. He tells you what foods fight cancer most effectively and what the best combination of foods are to fight and prevent cancer. (I have no connection to Dr Servan-Schreiber or his publisher).
This book lays out for you what normal, everyday foods to eat, what kinds of exercise are most effective and why and why "alternative" medicine works, even something as simple as journaling.
3. Rogaine has allowed my hair to grow back. I started using Rogaine in my 3rd month of chemo when my hair was falling out like mad. My hair immediately stopped falling out (I never had to shave my head) and 6 weeks later I found a 2mm, pale crewcut coming in all over my head. I now have the thickest head of hair I've had in 20 years. No one believes I'm being treated for cancer because of my hair. I hate the sick role, I do not want to appear ill and I can go out in public completely normal in appearance. It's priceless to me. No wigs, turbans or do-rags! I've had no bad effects from it. There's no sign it has affected my cancer or treatment in any way.
4. I use Revita-Lash on my eyebrows and eyelashes. I don't use Rogaine near my eyes because I don't know whether it would injure my eyes. Revita-Lash hasn't been as effective as Rogaine for me but I do have some fine, pale eyebrow hairs and eyelashes. I need to use make-up to avoid looking like a space alien.
A new prescription eyelash treatment, Latisse, is now available. It costs $150 a tube, just like Revita-Lash. I haven't tried it and it isn't being marketed for cancer patients, but I've read that it was invented by a chemist or pharmacist for his wife with breast cancer.
5. I bought a lightbox that is the home version of a light treatment that has been used in Dermatology offices for years. It produces 2 wavelengths of light, one that fights infection and one that boosts collagen production. It's made by Verilux and I believe the product name is Clear Wave. It has been very effective in clearing the acne I've developed since chemo has drastically reduced my white blood cell count. My face and neck have toned up visibly with the increased collagen production. People keep telling me how great I look (thank heaven for make-up and my lightbox).
Please let me know if you've found other techniques to improve quality of life during chemo. Thanks!
1. First and most importantly, Traditional Chinese Medicine is extremely effective, gentle and a perfect complement to standard Western medicine. My acupuncturist has saved my life just as my oncologist has, on multiple occasions. I'm taking Chinese herbs that keep my blood counts up so I am able to receive chemo every week without interruptions due to low blood cell counts. These same herbs are the most effective antidepressant I've ever encountered, with no side effects! I feel great and I roll like a tank over every setback. I would have curled up and died from despair without it.
I'm also taking an herb formula that combats the deeply invasive fungal infection that caused my breast cancer. I am slowly but steadily improving on it, with decreased pain in my cancerous sternum and breast, increased energy levels and weight gain. (The sicker I am, the more weight I lose. In my situation, fat is good!)
My acupuncturist has been extremely effective in treating the complications I've experienced from chemotherapy. I've broken 2 ribs just by shifting position. They didn't heal until my acupuncturist treated them, and it took only one treatment! He's cleared up the bad swelling in my legs and the lymphedema in my left arm. He cleared up the sciatica in my left leg with one treatment. I could go on! There are no side effects from acupuncture.
Cancer patients need Chinese medicine at the same time as standard Western treatment! Because the treatments are subtle and take time to work, it's best to start before your condition is desperate.
2. "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life," is a brilliant book by David Servan-Schreiber, MD. He's a physician and medical researcher diagnosed with brain cancer 15 years ago who went out and found the research on diet and other non-medical treatments to help combat cancer and compiled them in this book. It is essential reading. I now take 6 Omega-6 capsules a day and drink green tea instead of coffee. He tells you what foods fight cancer most effectively and what the best combination of foods are to fight and prevent cancer. (I have no connection to Dr Servan-Schreiber or his publisher).
This book lays out for you what normal, everyday foods to eat, what kinds of exercise are most effective and why and why "alternative" medicine works, even something as simple as journaling.
3. Rogaine has allowed my hair to grow back. I started using Rogaine in my 3rd month of chemo when my hair was falling out like mad. My hair immediately stopped falling out (I never had to shave my head) and 6 weeks later I found a 2mm, pale crewcut coming in all over my head. I now have the thickest head of hair I've had in 20 years. No one believes I'm being treated for cancer because of my hair. I hate the sick role, I do not want to appear ill and I can go out in public completely normal in appearance. It's priceless to me. No wigs, turbans or do-rags! I've had no bad effects from it. There's no sign it has affected my cancer or treatment in any way.
4. I use Revita-Lash on my eyebrows and eyelashes. I don't use Rogaine near my eyes because I don't know whether it would injure my eyes. Revita-Lash hasn't been as effective as Rogaine for me but I do have some fine, pale eyebrow hairs and eyelashes. I need to use make-up to avoid looking like a space alien.
A new prescription eyelash treatment, Latisse, is now available. It costs $150 a tube, just like Revita-Lash. I haven't tried it and it isn't being marketed for cancer patients, but I've read that it was invented by a chemist or pharmacist for his wife with breast cancer.
5. I bought a lightbox that is the home version of a light treatment that has been used in Dermatology offices for years. It produces 2 wavelengths of light, one that fights infection and one that boosts collagen production. It's made by Verilux and I believe the product name is Clear Wave. It has been very effective in clearing the acne I've developed since chemo has drastically reduced my white blood cell count. My face and neck have toned up visibly with the increased collagen production. People keep telling me how great I look (thank heaven for make-up and my lightbox).
Please let me know if you've found other techniques to improve quality of life during chemo. Thanks!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
It's Great to Be Alive!
I just celebrated my 48th birthday, a birthday I did not believe I would live to see. Instead of dying of cancer, I've survived and thrived. I've been ecstatic all week. 50, here I come!
I understand now why we celebrate birthdays. There's no guarantee any of us will see the next one. Birthdays are an achievement! We should use them to reflect on the past year and count our blessings. Every day is precious.
The second anniversary of my diagnosis of aggressive, fast-moving Stage 4 Breast Cancer is in 2 weeks. Instead of quickly dying, I'm still here 2 years later and doing just fine! There's no end in sight for me now. I'm going to have a party on that anniversary.
I am so grateful for the help I've received that has been instrumental in my survival. I wouldn't be here without my wonderful oncologist, Fred Kass. He is amazingly smart, wise and kind. Anthony Kar, my outstanding acupuncturist, has saved my life as much as Dr Kass has. He has immeasurably improved my quality of life as well. He fixes every injury and chemo side effect. The combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine with standard Western medicine is what has saved my life. I strongly recommend acupuncture!
I thank all of my family and friends for caring about me and praying for me and being there for me.
I dedicate my life, however much time I have left, to spreading the word about the interventions that have saved me from quick, certain death from cancer, so that others can live.
I understand now why we celebrate birthdays. There's no guarantee any of us will see the next one. Birthdays are an achievement! We should use them to reflect on the past year and count our blessings. Every day is precious.
The second anniversary of my diagnosis of aggressive, fast-moving Stage 4 Breast Cancer is in 2 weeks. Instead of quickly dying, I'm still here 2 years later and doing just fine! There's no end in sight for me now. I'm going to have a party on that anniversary.
I am so grateful for the help I've received that has been instrumental in my survival. I wouldn't be here without my wonderful oncologist, Fred Kass. He is amazingly smart, wise and kind. Anthony Kar, my outstanding acupuncturist, has saved my life as much as Dr Kass has. He has immeasurably improved my quality of life as well. He fixes every injury and chemo side effect. The combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine with standard Western medicine is what has saved my life. I strongly recommend acupuncture!
I thank all of my family and friends for caring about me and praying for me and being there for me.
I dedicate my life, however much time I have left, to spreading the word about the interventions that have saved me from quick, certain death from cancer, so that others can live.
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