My Anti-Cancer Anti-Disease Rx

In the last post, we talked about the importance of your internal environment or terrain. Now let's look at ways we can improve that environment to rid it of disease and keep you disease-free. This is my personal Rx and something I practice each and every day.

You'll notice that not everything on my list is about food or supplements. That's because I believe what you think, do and believe is just as important, maybe more, than what you put in your mouth. You can do all the right nutritional things and still get sick and stay sick if you forget to change your beliefs and day-to-day lifestyle. More on that in the next post.

Here are the core principles of my Anti-cancer, Anti-disease regimen. I've just briefly mentioned them here. Each one deserves its own section because there is so much to talk about. More later, I promise.

1. As close to no sugar or white flour (i.e. foods with a high glycemic index) as you can get - because cancer feeds on sugar and these foods also promote inflammation
2. Green, green and more green - because greens have lots of the key anti-cancer and immune system nutrients you need, plus they help balance your body's ph. Our western diet is typically very acidic (meat, coffee, alcohol) and cancer thrives in an acidic environment
3. Limited meat - there are clear links between heavy meat consumption and cancer. I love a good cheese burger but afterward I can literally feel the inflammation it triggers. And the high fat content of meat and other animal products increases hormone production, thus increasing the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.
4. Shore up your immune system - You can't beat cancer or any disease without a strong immune system. See earlier post Nutrition and supplements that help your immune system fight cancer. 
5. Add cancer-fighting power foods - These super nutrients are easy to add and oh so powerful. 
1. Green Tea - contains polyphenols called catechins, which block the receptors which trigger the formation of new blood vessels by cancerous cells.
2. Mushrooms- Shiitake maitake, kawaratake and enokitake mushrooms stimulate the immune system and slow tumor growth
3. Brown Rice- rice bran has been shown to induce apoptosis (cancer cell death), inhibit cell proliferation, and alter cell progression in malignant cells.
4. Olive oil - contains secoiridoids and lignans, antioxidants linked with slower progression of cancer
5. Soy - contains powerful phytochemical molecules that counteract the mechanisms essential to the survival and spread of cancer
6. Tumeric - powerful anti inflammatory that also inhibits angiogenesis and forces cancer cells to die. 
6. Detox - it is essential that you clear your system of toxins - that includes cancer drugs, food and environmental toxins, and tumor remnants. I drink 7-8 glasses of clean filtered water, drink at least one green juice per day, use my mini trampoline to get the lymph system going and take 2-3 epsom salt and baking soda baths per week. 
7. Exercise - Exercise decreases your insulin resistance, which reduces cancer risk and creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells. It also improves circulation, driving more oxygen into your tissues and circulating immune cells in your blood. 
8. Sun & Fresh Air - this is one you might not find on everyone's cancer regimen but its something I do every day and it's made a huge difference in both my mental and physical health. Sun is important because vitamin D is a proven anti-cancer agent. Fresh air is important because it helps you fully breathe and get oxygen circulating through your system. 
9. Stress relief - Every day I do something that aids in stress relief. Yoga, meditation, walk the dog, watch a funny movie. This is just as important as what you put in your body, maybe more. We'll get into that in more detail in subsequent posts where we talk about the mind-body connection.
10. Social connection - Studies have shown that people with strong relationships and support systems have better survival rates. I believe this is essential. It's more than just people who are there for you, it's people you feel connected to, people that "get you".
11. Believe - I'm convinced the reason there are so many success stories about different ways people beat cancer is because belief is the most powerful drug there is. See The best treatment protocol is the one you believe in the most. 

A new way to think about cancer

The more I dig into cancer, the more I struggle with traditional approaches that focus on tumors or cancerous cells rather than the overall environment that has allowed cancer to thrive in the first place.

In my work with organizational challenges, I know that removing a single problem employee will do little to improve dynamics if the environment, i.e. the culture, is less than optimal. The same thing applies to cancer. If you don't change the environment, you'll likely end up with the same problem again down the road.

I am a living breathing example of that. 2001, lop off the breasts where the cancer resided and call it good. 12 years later, we face the challenge again. The breast cancer cells found their way into my spine, sacrum, ribs and hips.

Research suggests that cancer arises only when cancer cells find fertile terrain in which to grow. Put another way, cancer cells only flourish in an individual whose immune defenses have been weakened. This notion opens up an entirely way of thinking about cancer.

As David Servan-Schreiber notes in Anticancer, "the aim of such new approaches would be not to eradicate tumors by targeting cancer cells themselves, but to "stabilize" these tumors over very long periods by strengthening and mobilizing our natural defenses."

Tumors are symptoms of a diseased organism

Josef Issels, in Cancer, A Second Opinion, notes:

The whole problem of cancer, in terms of growth, in terms of control, in terms of prolonged remission, turns on the bedrock that the disease is one of the organization as a whole. The tumor is a symptom, albeit an important one. This means that malignant tumors can only develop in a diseased organism.

These are not new ideas. In fact, the question is, where and when did we begin to focus locally rather than considering the body as a whole? Early physicians seemed to know better and treat people accordingly. Hippocrates' (460-377 B.C.) work contains numerous references to the causes ("black bile" - i.e. toxins) and treatment (detoxification) of cancer. In the Middle Ages, we find similar references to black bile, as well as "fermenting substance" and "acridity" as causes.

Arabian and pre-Renaissance medicine were also focused on detoxification with specific references to plant pharmacotherapy. The physician Parcelsus (1493-1541) believed, "it is not the physician who heals, but nature" and saw the key to cancer as reinforcement of the body's own defenses. Among the plant remedies he used were hellebore, which has medicinal actions similar to those of mistletoe, sedum, arnica and also garlic, onion and leeks (still high in our anti-cancer food list).

Parcelsus was also an alchemist and used zinc, arsenic, sulphur and various mixtures of salts. In this regard, he is sometimes referred to as the father of chemotherapy. Parcelsus approach to treating cancer also included a mind-body component. He used a form of psychotherapy, because he felt

The causes of every disease are to be found in the soul and spirit as well as in the body.

This systemic view of cancer remained in play for a thousand or more years. Generation after generation of physicians believed that cancer arose through a complex disorder of metabolism and the body's inability to eliminate toxins.

The focus began to change in the mid nineteenth century after cellular pathology gained favor and cancer become the province of surgeons. The nineteenth century saw great advances in surgery, culminating in today's sophisticated surgical and anesthetic techniques, resuscitation and post-operative care, which combined to make surgery relatively safe.

With the prominence of surgery and therefore surgeons, the localized view of cancer replaced the systemic view. Surgeons believed they could remove the disease by removing the tumor.  This view has remained steadfast since that time, and now is often accompanied by chemotherapy and radiation.

Next time I'll take a look at modern medicine's approach to cancer, and in particular chemo and radiation. But I won't spend a lot of time there, because frankly, any treatment that tears down the very thing (i.e. the immune system) that we need to beat cancer, just doesn't make sense. I'd rather spend my time focusing on cleaning up the environment, my internal environment, that is.

The best treatment protocol is the one you believe in the most

A big part of the responsibilities of being a cancer patient is being smart and aware about your treatment. If there's any place you want to do your homework and be an educated consumer, it's here. But it's often not easy.

I typically research every purchase I make and I'm the person in my circle everyone goes to find out how products, stores, companies or people compare. I'm typically not one to blindly trust a doctor and a suggested protocol, but for some strange reason that's exactly what I did this time.

As a psychologist and writer whose written about credibility and the subconscious trust of authority figures, I should know better. Combine that with my propensity to research EVERYTHING, you'd think I would have been the least likely to turn into a sheep.  So what happened?

The short answer is I'm not sure. I was stunned by the diagnosis this time and I think I remained in that stunned state for almost two years. With the death of my husband coming shortly after the diagnosis, then relocating back to Texas, taking care of my mother-in-law and then her death, I was, as they say, not in my right mind.

It was my immune system getting so low and feeling so bad that finally shook some sense into me. I'm not an expert, but I'm smart enough to know there is no way your body can survive cancer if your immune system is basically non-existent!

So, the old Pam is now back and doing her thing. I've researched each of the drugs I'm taking, including gathering info from countless other women just like me who've taken or are taking the drugs. I've also investigated a variety of alternative strategies and spoken to practitioners and users about their experiences.

In some ways we are blessed to have an abundance of great information at our disposal, but in other ways it's a curse. Its difficult to know who to trust sometimes and is especially challenging when trusted sources contradict each other.

When I had cancer the first time, I did the research. Knowing that, people would often ask, "So what's the best protocol?  Chemotherapy? Macrobotic diet? Faith healing?  The answer - all of the above. What I found was people beat cancer using every treatment protocol you can imagine. The only common denominator was their belief in that protocol. The answer to the question which protocol, is, the one you believe in the most!

Do your homework, or buddy up with someone like me who does the homework. Find some quiet stillness and reflect on the choices. Ask God or your higher self to help you choose the things that are right for you. If you learn to listen, you'll discover that the answers and the guidance you need is right there inside you.

I use muscle testing to help me determine what foods and supplements are right for me. I encourage you to give it a try.  You can read about it here:
http://www.mercola.com/article/mind_body/applied_psycho_neurobiology/muscle_testing.htm

See a variety of techniques here:
http://www.healing-with-eft.com/self-muscle-testing.html

Or watch Cathy Davis do a quick demo of a common technique.

Nutritional supplements that help your immune system fight cancer

These nutritional supplements do a fabulous job keeping your immune system primed and ready for action.

Vitamin C – This vitamin is not only good for fighting colds and flu, but also boosts the activation of both T-cells and NK cells so that your immune system has extra armor to protect you against a host of diseases, including cancer. 

Vitamin D – Vitamin D protects you against flus, colds, cancer and a host of other diseases. No other supplement has been as extensively studied as vitamin D. The reason vitamin D helps with just about any kind of infection is because it stimulates the production of cathelicidin, a protein with natural antibiotic properties. I take Vitamin D supplements, but I also spend 20-30 minutes a day in the sun to collect it naturally.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega-3 is needed to help vitamin D work in an optimally and helps prevent vitamin D deficiency. Omega-3 supplementation increases the activity of white cells that gobble up dangerous bacteria. Omega-3 also protects the lungs from colds, flus and other respiratory tract infections. It is also plays a critical role as an anti-inflammatory (more on this when we talk about inflammation).

Vitamin E – In addition to boosting the production of killer cells, vitamin E also supports the making of B cells – also utilized by our immune systems to produce antibodies and kill bacteria. You can get the recommended 60 mg a day from nuts, grains, seeds and vegetable oils. 

Beta Carotene – As the name suggests, this important vitamin found in carrots can help boost killer cells as well as helper t-cells so that your immune system can fight a number of diseases. Foods full of beta carotene include sweet potatoes, kale, turnip greens, spinach, dried herbs, and mustard greens. Check out this story about how Ann Cameron cured her Stage IV colon cancer with carrot juice. 

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that usually inhabit the gut and are a very well documented optimizer of the immune system. Seventy percent or more of our immune system is controlled by what happens in the gut, and friendly bacteria are the most important component of that immune system. These bacteria modulate the immune system by increasing the numbers of t-cells. Probiotics also help improve digestion and protect the body from harmful pathogens such as candida albicans. 

Astragalus – This well-known Chinese herb stimulates white blood cells to both prevent and fight infections. Astragalus does not work as quickly as vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids, and may take between 6 – 8 weeks to reach its full effects. Numerous studies attest to the fact that it is well worth supplementing.

Selenium – regular supplementation of this important nutrient reduces the risk of cancers of the bladder, breast, bowel, lung and prostate. 

Turkey Tail Mushroom - So called because it resembles a wild turkey's tail, turkey tail mushrooms are proven effective immune system boosters as well as one of the leading anti-cancer supplements. See Turkey tail mushrooms help immune system fight cancer. Also this NIH article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369477/

Beta Glucan - Lentinan, a type of beta glucan found in shitake mushrooms, is an immune system modulator, shown to increase neutrophils in solid tumors. Beta Glucan is not an immune system stimulant, like Echinacea and Colostrum. Vaclav Vetvicka, in his book on beta glucan notes that “there are other agents that stimulate the immune system. However, glucans are in a class apart, because those other agents can push the immune system to over stimulation. This means they can make matters worse in the case of auto-immune illnesses. Glucans however do stimulate the immune system, but never to the point where it becomes overactive. In addition glucan is one of the few natural immunomodulators for which we know not only the composition but also the mechanism of action.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19515245

How to keep your natural born killer cells primed and ready for action

Thanks to David Servan-Schreiber in his book Anticancer for describing what happens in a way that regular folks can understand. Much of what is included here came from him.

Natural killer (NK) cells are the highly skilled special agents of the immune system. They're like other white blood cells, in that they patrol the organism looking for bacteria and cancer cells. But, they're different from other white bloods cells (WBC) in one very important way. Other WBC need previous contact to disease agents in order to recognize, then attack them. NKs don't.

NK cells don't need a prior introduction. They seem to be especially good at spotting the bad guys right away and as soon as they detect an enemy, they quickly marshal up forces and aim their chemical weapons (perforin and granzymes) directly at their target.

The granzymes activate the mechanisms of programmed self-destruction. It's as if they give the cancer cell an order to commit suicide, an order it has no choice but to obey. In response to this message, its nucleus crumbles, leading to the cancer cell's collapse. The deflated remains of the cell are then ready to be digested by macrophages, which are the garbage collectors of the immune system and are always found in the wake of NK cells.

A study of 77 women with breast cancer shows just how important these bad boys are. Samples of each woman's tumor taken at the time of diagnosis were cultivated with her own NK cells. Certain patients' NK cells simply didn't react, as though their vitality had been mysteriously zapped. With others, NKs jumped into high gear, indicating an active immune system. At the end of the study, 12 years later, 47% of the patients whose NK cells had not reacted in the lab had died. On the other hand, 95% of those whose immune systems had been active under the microscope were still alive.

So what can we do to ensure our natural born killer cells are strong and ready for action? For starters, lets take a look at what decreases NK cell activity. NK cell activity naturally decreases as we age. Since we can't do much with that, let's move along to the second one - psychological stress.  Both acute and chronic psychological stress reduce NK activity. Sleep depravation is another contributor. Social isolation, persistent anger or despair and a sedentary lifestyle also inhibit the immune system. And then there's chemotherapy and radiation therapy. And rounding out the negatives is our traditional western, very inflammatory diet.

So...there are many things in that list above we can do something about, diet and stress being two very important ones. My Rx includes daily exercise and stress relief, laughter and significant diet modifications, much is focused on keeping inflammation at bay (more on that later). I've also got some key supplements that have been proven effective in this regard. See next post for my full list of Immune System Boosters.

In closing I want to mention an interesting study I happened upon while doing my immune system research. This study (there are actually several like this), looked at the effect of a short, leisurely visit to a forest, on a person's NK activity.

Thirteen healthy nurses, age 25-43 years, professional career 4-18 years experienced a three-day/two-night trip to forest fields. On day 1, the subjects walked for two hours in the afternoon in a forest field; on day 2, they walked for two hours each in the morning and afternoon in two different forest fields. The forest bathing trip significantly increased NK activity and the numbers of NK, perforin, granulysin, and granzymes A/B-expressing cells and significantly decreased the percentage of T cells, and the concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline in urine.  

The increased NK activity lasted for more than 7 days after the trip. Phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and beta-pinene were detected in forest air. These findings indicate that a forest bathing trip also increased NK activity, number of NK cells, and levels of intracellular anti-cancer proteins in female subjects, and that this effect lasted at least 7 days after the trip. Phytoncides released from trees and decreased stress hormone levels may partially contribute to the increased NK activity. 

For more info, check out http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/

 If you've ever visited forests in Japan, you'd have no problem understanding their power. Here's a picture of one of my favorite places, the walking path to Meigi Shrine, which is amazingly right in Tokyo. After the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914, the Japanese people decided to commemorate them by building a forest. So they donated 100,000 trees from all over Japan and oversees, and they worked to voluntarily create this forest. The shrine was established in 1920.

Hey Ibrance, stop messing with my neutrophils!

Six months ago, I had never heard of a neutrophil. In fact I had to Google everything on the blood test results. Though generally familiar with the role of the immune system in health, the specific makeup was a mystery. 

Not any more!  Now I eat and breath the numbers. First the CA 27-29 tumor marker numbers. Now the addition of the blessed neutrophils. 

A neutrophil is a type of white blood cell. White blood cells help the body fight off diseases and infections. Neutrophils are essential in this regard as they remove and destroy bacteria, wastes, foreign substances and other bad guys. They accomplish this by eating these substances. They're kind of like the pac man of blood cells. 

A side effect of the Ibrance drug (see related post for more on this bad boy), is that it tends to wreak havoc on the pac man infection fighters. Ibrance is designed to inhibit the function of a specific type of protein, CDK 4/6, that scientists believe plays a role in the proliferation of cancer cells. But here's the problem. In addition to inhibiting CDKs, it appears Ibrance also inhibits blood cell production.

As part of the Ibrance protocol, I have my blood tested every other week, sometimes every week to make sure white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets are all at safe levels. I'm on my fourth round of ibrance and each time have had to take an extra week or two for my neutrophils to build back up. Each time the counts seem to get lower and lower.

At last count, my Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) was barely 300. That's extremely low. Normal ANC is between 1500 and 6500. Before I started Ibrance, my ANC was in the 2500-3500 range. 

The low ANC puts me in extreme danger of getting bacterial and fungal infections. Trust me, I didn't need to read about this, I lived it. I've been struggling with every type of infection imaginable, even though I'm religious about immune boosting diets and supplements. 

So, I'm off the Ibrance for awhile to not only get my counts back up, but also to clear out my body of these nasty toxins. Kind of a chicken and egg sort of thing. I need the neutrophils to eat the bacteria and toxins, but need to get rid of the bacteria and toxins to get the neutrophils back and the immune system working effectively. 

I'll go over my detox and immune system boosting protocol in my next post. Till next time. Peace out. 

Why I started this blog

Selfish reasons primarily. I want to find like-minded people, expand my social network. I have to. I'm a social scientist and I know all too well the importance of social connections and support. Bottom line, people with a strong network are far more likely to survive cancer, regardless of treatment protocol.

Secondly, I'm a research nerd and one of those people that can never have enough data. I've done a lot of research on alternative therapies and I want a place to share what I've learned.

Thirdly, we're all in this together. Chances are you've either had cancer or someone you care about has had cancer or will have cancer at some point. The greatest gift you can give them, at least from my perspective is easy to understand, unbiased, fact-based information.

I'm not beholding to anyone. I don't sell any products or services associated with cancer treatments, alternative or otherwise. I'm just a regular person, sharing my experiences in the hopes that someone else might benefit.