Complementary Medicine with Chemo Is It Dangerous/Stupid?

[doicat]

I'm seriously considering using Complementary Medicines and I've just started Chemo, done Ist treatment of Taxol and Carbo.  I'm looking at herbal as well as vitamins, in particular A and E.  I'm aware that there are many articles against this and a few for it.  I'm Stage IIIc Ovarian Clear Cell.  Not a good cancer.  Really looking for some thoughts about this.  I've recently read an article regarding using Antioxidants with chemo which, I understand from reading med articles, has been really frowned upon.

Any thoughts?

Doicat

[Sunes]

You are writing about conventional treatments that provide facts and alternative/complementary does not.
I think it's fair to say that both have great facts to share...the only thing is that alternative/complementary is natural and doctors do not believe in this approach and conventional uses toxic chemicals  where Naturopathic doctors say it's too damaging to use all by itself. .
I am not discrediting conventional approach but I am a great advocate for alternative/complementary  approach. I am promoting  healthy diet in treating cancer because we have to have a strong healthy and well working immune system to kill off cancer in our body and that's is the key to CURE this dreadful disease..
Check this site.......... ****.***   I just received their book and DVD and I knew all along that diet plays a huge role to create and maintain healthy immune system.

[doicat]

Thanks for your posting.  I am definately not walking away from my chemo treatments...just looking for any extra help I can find to 1) enhance my chemo 2) help with the side effects that I experienced with my first cycle of Carbo/Taxol and 3) help bolster my immune system.  

I agree that these people need to work together for the greater good (i.e. the patient), instead I feel like there is some kind of competition going on with them.  I will definately show my GYN/ONC what my Chinese Herbalist is recommending and can only hope he will be open to it. If not, I'll just have to make my own decision.

Thanks again for your input.  

[Weesy68]

As far as alternative therapy alone to cure cancer, you would be hard pressed to find alternative medicine doctors who can provide hard facts regarding good results when it comes to cure cancer.  However, a good oncologist will allow you to use alternative medicines concurrently with conventional medicine as long as it isn't something that can further harm the patient.  This was allowed in my daughter's case.  I have found more alternative doctors who refuse to cooperate with conventional medicine than conventional doctors who refuse to allow some alternative treatments along with conventional medicine.  At some point I hope both can realize there are benefits to both working together, but as far as studies go, conventional medicine still provides facts that alternative will not.  A good oncologist will not discredit alternative medicine if he believes it will help the patient recover during conventional treatment.

[Sunes]

Dear Doicat.
Complementary or Alternative approach is a very personal decision...and only you can decide which therapy you think you need along with your Oncologist(knowing life-your Onc may not agree with your choices). Don't jump to just any therapy...you must do your homework and contact one of the best Naturopathic doctors there is in your area and than decide together what's best for you..
I use ..I should call it now complementary treatment along with Chemo-Carboplatin  only.Before I used it to maximize my strength and keep cancer at bay and called it alternative.
There are many different modalities that you can use with conventional treatment but question is??  which one is for you and which one will benefit you the most.
Diet is a major part in treating cancer  ...I was told by two doctors MD and ND  to stay away from sugar, white flour, dairy products (except white curd cheese from raw milk)  soda pop of any kind, ice creams, coffee, processed foods (pizza, TV dinners,hot dogs,etc) refined oils, powdered soups  , all kinds of fast foods and salad dressings and condiments.
The diet for cancer patients should contain 75% of raw vegetables and fruits and whole foods. The great website to find out exactly what's allowed and  disallowed is C a n c e r t u t o r  (dot)  c o m . They specify what stage and what diet can be used to help your body kill cancer cells along with other treatments.
I sincerely hope you will choose wisely and stick with it for a long time...there is no magic pill in alt. or compl. therapies......it took me several month of consultations and research while on Johanna Budwig diet to restore health to my body  and than with my two doctors we chose my treatment Vit C Intravenous. I was on this treatment for 20 months ..introduced  few months ago Maitake D-Fraction and Helixor to my therapy...and  just last August  I agreed to try chemo again ( had bad reaction to first line chemo in 2006). This Nov 12 will be my 4 treatment and of course I have terrible  side effects after each treatment  ..nausea attacs for the first day and than I am fine using home remedies to get rid off nausea all together and have proper stomach and bowels function. I eat solid foods right away to nurish my body. Chemo is so destructive to your  bone marrow, bowels and stomach  that you must do anything to help your stomach/bowels get well FAST. I don't use ondasetron and dexamethasone after chemo...just the day of my chemo .As I mentioned I use home remedies which are so helpfull, better than using steroids etc.   to further destroy my stomach .
Hope this will help a little. Hugs,Sunes.

[doicat]

Thanks for your responses.

Sunes, I have seen this article and it was pretty much the driving force for me to pursue complementary medicine.  I mean it's a no brainer right?  

Hava, I cut and copied your Alternative Therapies exercises to print out and will try the exercises.  May have to ask you some questions once I get into it but it sound like a good thing.

I spoke with M. Broffman from the Pine Street Clinic in Marin Co. Calif today. I had sent him my medical records and he is going to send me his recommendations for complementary treatment through my chemo.  He has been highy recommended to me and after researching him and his clinic, I feel he is very trustworthy and knowledgable about cancer and herbal/vitamine therapy.  I look forward to getting his recommendations and then me shopping for these supplements.  

Again thanks for your input, Sunes, I agree with you,,,there is no Good cancer,, it all *****.  

Doicat

[hava]

It is a good idea to follow alternative methods with chemo to increase the effectiveness.
See my post in the topic "Alternative Therapies for Immuno support" in this forum, and the pranayam-breathing exercises will help you fight the cancer.

[Sunes]

Hi There.
I am so sorry to hear about your dx.  There is no good  cancer : yours is just a different type.
I just received   email  from my scientist friend who helps me to find all kinds of new studies and that's what he send me:

The use of antioxidants with first-line chemotherapy in two cases of ovarian cancer.
Drisko JA, Chapman J, Hunter VJ.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 39012 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
j d r i s k o (at) k u m c .e d u

OBJECTIVE: Because of poor overall survival in advanced ovarian malignancies, patients often turn to alternative therapies despite controversy surrounding their use. Currently, the majority of cancer patients combine some form of complementary and alternative medicine with conventional therapies. Of these therapies, antioxidants, added to chemotherapy, are a frequent choice. METHODS: For this preliminary report, two patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer were studied. One patient had Stage IIIC papillary serous adenocarcinoma, and the other had Stage IIIC mixed papillary serous and seromucinous adenocarcinoma. Both patients were optimally cytoreduced prior to first-line carboplatinum/paclitaxel chemotherapy. Patient 2 had a delay in initiation of chemotherapy secondary to co-morbid conditions and had evidence for progression of disease prior to institution of therapy. Patient 1 began oral high-dose antioxidant therapy during her first month of therapy. This consisted of oral vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, coenzyme Q-10 and a multivitamin/mineral complex. In addition to the oral antioxidant therapy, patient 1 added parenteral ascorbic acid at a total dose of 60 grams given twice weekly at the end of her chemotherapy and prior to consolidation paclitaxel chemotherapy. Patient 2 added oral antioxidants just prior to beginning chemotherapy, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, coenzyme Q-10 and a multivitamin/mineral complex. Patient 2 received six cycles of paclitaxel/carboplatinum chemotherapy and refused consolidation chemotherapy despite radiographic evidence of persistent disease. Instead, she elected to add intravenous ascorbic acid at 60 grams twice weekly. Both patients gave written consent for the use of their records in this report. RESULTS: Patient 1 had normalization of her CA-125 after the first cycle of chemotherapy and has remained normal, almost 3(1/2) years after diagnosis. CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis remain without evidence of recurrence. Patient 2 had normalization of her CA-125 after the first cycle of chemotherapy. After her first round of chemotherapy, the patient was noted to have residual disease in the pelvis. She declined further chemotherapy and added intravenous ascorbic acid. There is no evidence for recurrent disease by physical examination, and her CA-125 has remained normal three years after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Antioxidants, when added adjunctively, to first-line chemotherapy, may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy and may prove to be safe. A review of four common antioxidants follows. Because of the positive results found in these two patients, a randomized controlled trial is now underway at the University of Kansas Medical Center evaluating safety and efficacy of antioxidants when added to chemotherapy in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.

Hope this helps. Hugs,Sunes.