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2012: I just celebrated my 60th birthday and am going to share with you an outline of my diet/supplements. For example, you will find that the very first thing I did early on was to go almost totally vegan - no meat (with the exception of fish) and no diary products whatsoever. However, I recently reintroduced a small amount of eggs (from cage-free, hormone/antibiotic feed-free chickens, of course) into my diet. So far, in the latest scan, there has been absolutely no change in me at all. Everything is "stable".
Two years ago, in April 2010, I saw some blood in my urine. A subsequent CT scan showed that I had a tumor, "the size of a grapefruit", growing in my left kidney. I was told that this tumor had likely been growing in me for at least 5 years and possibly even much longer - yet I had absolutely no symptoms at all up until that point. This tumor was very large so they would have to remove the entire kidney. At that point they could not tell from the MRI's whether or not they were also going to have to remove my Spleen, part of my Pancreas and Colon for good measure...
My left kidney (which had by now become the size of a football) was subsequently removed and - extremely luckily for me - the tumor was found to be fully incased inside of it, so no other organs needed to be removed at all. At that time they also found no evidence of the cancer spreading anywhere else in my body. Even the lymph nodes that were right next to the kidney were deemed completely normal and so they were not removed.
Since there was no evidence of any spread of the cancer I had lucked out a second time. In cases like this there is no follow up chemotherapy and/or radiation necessary. Instead, they monitor one with CT scans every 4 months for the next year (and then twice a year for the next 5 years) to look for any signs of recurrence (metastases).
The first CT scan that was done 4 months later was, of course, quite nerve racking - as my wife, Judy, and I were wondering what they might find. But, I was indeed blessed yet again. There was no evidence of any cancer. The following one, done 4 months after that one, showed the same result. There was no cancer detectable anywhere.
At this point, after over one full year of CT scans that showed no signs of cancer recurrence, my oncologist told me that I was now past a major period of the risk of recurrence. So the future plan would be to do only one CT scan a year.
However, I requested that we do one more - "just to make sure" and he readily agreed. That CT scan was done back in December 2011 - and it too showed no signs of any cancer return. However that scan did show some slightly enlarged lymph nodes around my lower intestine - which was a bit puzzling to him. When we met to review those results I pointed out to him that the day after I had gone in for it (a week before our meeting) I had come down with one of those "24-hour" stomach bugs and had suffered a severe case of diarrhea. When he heard about that he (correctly) postulated that this was likely the cause of the enlarged nodes. However he now suggested that, "just to make sure", we would do one more CT scan in 6 months time. That CT scan occurred at the beginning of July.
To be honest, both my wife and I had assumed that the results of this scan would be just the same as all the others (i.e. no cancer return at all). So we were completely shocked when my oncologist said that he "saw something suspicious" at the base of my spine (sacrum - tailbone) in the scan.
So he suggested that we do two more tests - one, a full body nuclear bone scan and the other, a biopsy on the sacrum lesions.
Those tests clearly showed that I had metastatic stage IV kidney cancer which had settled in both my left femur (thigh bone) and my sacrum (tail bone).
This new location in (or on) my left thigh was only discovered due to the full body Nuclear Bone Scan. Regardless, there was now a major concern that my left thigh bone might be significantly weakened - and could easily break or fracture.
So a bone cancer specialist had to be consulted. He found that the lesions on my left thigh were small and self-contained and were not located anywhere near where they could weaken the bone. So in his opinion I was in no greater risk of a break or fracture. That was a big relief. He told me to come back in 12 weeks (mid-November) for a follow-up check.
Curiously, even though the cancer had returned in (or on) my bones, it was still not considered to be bone cancer. The biopsy confirmed that it was made of the same kind of renal cancer cells (chromophobe) found in the tumor 2 years earlier. So I have renal cancer, not bone cancer. That seems a bit weird to me, but so be it.
You may know that renal cancer (kidney cancer), when it metastasizes (as it has to the base of my spine and my left thigh), is pretty nasty stuff. Up until about 5 years ago there was not much anyone could do for the patient. There was only one very dangerous therapy (called High Dose IL-2) that would only be administered with the patient in a hospital under 24-hour Intensive Care. This therapy only worked in 5% of the cases. And in 4% of all those treated the result was death - from the therapy itself! Furthermore, it also turns out (in hindsight) that this therapy would never have worked on me due to the kind of cancer cells I have.
However, in the last 5 years things have changed dramatically for the better. There are now a bunch of new "targeted" chemo drugs which are not lethal and which actually work to slow down (and/or stop) the growth of tumors. More of these kinds of drugs are being introduced almost every day. This kind of therapy is called "anti-angiogenic" because its interferes and/or stops the creation of the blood vessels (angiogenesis) that feed the tumors. However, none of these drugs can be considered a "cure". In fact, there is no cure for this (and most) cancers. Of course there is something called going "NED" which means "No Evidence of Disease" being found. That is what I am really after.
Currently I am pursuing "Integrative" cancer therapy. That is, I am undergoing medically recommended "traditional" chemotherapy concurrently plus "alternative" therapy employing all natural anti-cancer/anti-inflammatory/dietary/hormonal/EFA supplements. I am also taking another natural supplement that few people are aware of (yet) called TBL-12. It is made from Sea Cucumber and Sea Urchin and other deep sea animals. It is based on ancient Chinese medicine. It just received FDA approval as an orphan drug for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma. Myeloma and Renal Cancer are both immune-based cancers, so it will work on both.
The "traditional" (that is, medically approved) cancer therapy recommended in my case (with metastases only to the bones) is to take a drug called XGEVA (Denosumab) which draws Calcium into my skeleton and the "targeted" chemo drug called Sutent (Sunitinib). Sutent interferes with how tumors build blood vessels to supply themselves with needed nutrients. This drug will slow or even reverse the tumors for some period of time. How long it will work is unknown (the average period seems to be about one year). However, if and when it stops working we will then move on to another, different targeted chemo drug - and then repeat this same drill. Thus the "grand strategy" offered by the latest in medical science these days is simply to "buy time" until new and better drugs come along - maybe even one(s) that could result in going NED.
This kind of approach did not sound very encouraging to me. So my wife and I tried to come up with an "enhanced" plan. And we did. It is one that seems to be working quite well so far.
After a rather unnerving meeting with my oncologist (back in July) wherein he confirmed that my cancer had returned I immediately decided to change my diet radically - and to go almost totally "vegan" - that is, to consume absolutely no meat at all (except for fish and seafood) and absolutely no diary products whatsoever.
This decision was based on two books. One was called "the China Study". You can find out about it here: http://www.thechinastudy.com/. This monumental study proved quite convincingly that in those cultures or places where meat and dairy products were not consumed (for whatever reason) the cancer rates were dramatically reduced if almost nonexistent. [There is also a very nice documentary available called "Forks Over Knives" (http://www.folksoverknives.com/) that profiles the two doctors who spearheaded this study - and the results on some of their patients.]
The other more influential book was called "Anti-Cancer - A New Way of Life" by David Servan-Schreiber. You can find it here: http://www.anticancerbook.com/ The author of this book was a young up and coming brain cancer research expert. One day he accidentally discovered that he had contracted brain cancer himself. He also knew that the same therapies that he would prescribe to any patient in his exact same situation would not be sufficient to save their life. So he sets out on his own journey to figure out how to "really" save himself. What he found and what he did is what the book is about.
He ultimately prolonged his life by 20 years.
While I read his inspiring story I soon realized that listening to and/or following the advice of all the medical "experts" in the world - only - might not suffice to save my life.
A few weeks after I had discovered that my cancer had returned (back in July) I was also told by a friend about a friend of his who was an "expert" in natural supplements. This fellow had successfully gotten 3 different advanced cancer patients to go into full remission. In one case the patient had advanced colon cancer. He had a tumor, also "the size of grapefruit", almost completely blocking his intestine. In addition he had several pancake-sized metastases on his liver. This was not good at all. This patient had basically had been written off by his medical doctors - who refused to even operate on removing his tumor because of his "hopeless" condition. He was no longer on any chemo. Yet, after this patient started taking a regime of natural supplements (and, of course, changed his diet!), his tumor slowly started to shrink and he began to get his strength back. After several months he became completely tumor and cancer free - and he remains so to this day.
So I contacted this natural supplement "expert" and I asked him to suggest an initial regime for me to follow.
He came up with about 15 supplements (some of which are still included in the list that I have attached). He first got into researching all this because he had chronic Lyme Disease and had not gotten any relief from the established medical professionals.
Aside: I will add here my own powerful testimonial about using these supplements and changing my diet. Before I began taking any supplements I started to be in constant pain. I began walking with a slight limp and I could not go up the stairs "normally" (I could only manage one step at a time). Also, I could not sleep through the night due to the intense discomfort. At that point I could only control what was a constant dull, throbbing pain in my left thigh by taking the maximum dosage of Ibuprofen (400mg) every 6 hours. And even that would fail occasionally. But Ibuprofen is not good for the kidneys when taken constantly over a long period of time. However, just a few days after I began following the initial supplement regime (and this was still before I started my targeted chemotherapy) all the pain started to recede. Soon I was able to stop taking any Ibuprofen at all. I became completely pain-free and have been ever since. That was well over 3 months ago.
The fellow who came up with the original list of supplements was not a doctor. I was not real comfortable with that. So we further researched and found a facility (and medical doctors) that truly specialized in "Integrative" therapies. The one we chose is called the Block Integrative Cancer Center. It is based in Skokie, IL.
The Block Integrative Cancer Center was one of the very first facilities to offer concurrent "traditional" (chemo, radiation, etc.) and "alternative" (nutritional, mind/body, physical) therapies to their patients. Here is a link to his facility: http://www.blockmd.com/index.htm.
It was founded by Dr. Keith I. Block. Here is a link to his book, "Life Over Cancer". This book goes into great detail about standard and Integrative cancer treatment and especially about the nutritional supplements that he recommends. It is simply invaluable: http://www.lifeovercancer.com/. I highly recommend reading it first before making any decisions about both diet and/or adding supplements.
My wife and I also went to visit and consult with them about 6 weeks ago.
While we were there we met with 2 different Oncologists, a Nutritionist, a Dietician, a Psychologist, and Dr. Block himself. They were all very impressed with the list of supplements that I was already taking and agreed with all of them. However, they "tweaked" some of them and added some others. Most importantly, they took about 16 vials of my blood and sent them off for extensive testing. 4 weeks ago I got the results of those tests - in 12 pages(!) analyzing 5 different "terrains" of my body - including:
1. Oxidation - in order to maintain the maximum antioxidant levels so as to eliminate free radicals in the body that damage DNA.
2. Inflammation - which, if uncontrolled, fuels pain, discomfort, disease progression, and weakening of the immune system.
3. Immunity - so as to boost the immune system to combat bacteria, viruses, and mutated cells while helping my body to recover more quickly from illness, injury, and/or cancer treatments.
4. Circulation - It is known that thicker blood increases the risk of blood clots and encourages the development of blood vessels to feed tumors and mets. Healthy circulation also allows these nutrients to circulate freely and better nourish the body.
5. Glycemia - High blood glucose levels increase disease risk and progression; fuels inflammation and weakens the immune system. Keeping Glycemia in check reduces hormones that effect weight management and well being. And, most importantly, cancer cells get most of their energy from sugars (by fermentation).
Regardless, based on my personal results to these blood tests, we further "fine-tuned" what nutrients I needed to take and which I needed to cut back on. They also added a few new ones.
This resulted in gearing the supplements I take directly to my own specific needs - based on quantitive results. [These blood tests will be repeated in 6 months to see if I have boosted those areas I was deficient in.] In the weeks since I have continued to do my own research - and have even further modified both my diet and the supplements I take.
I am now into the 4th week of my second cycle (each cycle = 50mg/day - 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off) of taking the "dreaded" Sutent. It is "dreaded" by many due to its awful side effects. But the only significant side effect I ever had was to lose my sense of taste during the end of my first cycle.
However, the folks at the Block Integrative Cancer Center suggested another supplement to take for that: 10-15 grams of L-Glutamine mixed in water twice a day. It worked like a charm. My taste returned back to 95% of normal about 3 days after starting on it. It is now back to 100% normal today. This supplement also helps with other gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea or nausea, or with mouth sores (although I have never suffered from any of them so far). Most significantly, I have not suffered any fatigue at all from taking the drug, unlike almost everyone else.
I just don't think I could be feeling as good as I am (the best that I have since I was in my twenties - which is truly absurd) if all this was not already working.
As mentioned earlier I also take TBL-12/Sea Cucumber extract. This stuff works in exactly the same manner as the Sutent I have been taking (it is an anti-angiogenic) - but with a much broader impact. The best part about it is that it is 100% completely natural. There are no side effects from taking it - other than having more energy than I have ever felt in decades. The only downside is its expensive.
Check out this excellent TED talk presentation for more information about anti-angiogenics - especially those found in food: http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.html
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