Holistic approach if you believe or if you tried?

[Arlyce Kusler]

I'm Her2+ and just finished my chemo today and start radiation next month for 7 weeks. I was wondering if any has tried or your thoughts on the holistic approach. My sister keeps talking about it with me and I'm scared to not just follow my doctors regiment. Please share your thought, not sure what to do.

Thank you for your time.
Arlyce

['lizbeth]

Arlyce,

I tried to find information on a holistic approach that was successful for a large number of patients when I was first diagnosed. I looked and looked, and was not confident in what I found.

My advice is to combine the two approaches. Chemo is over, radiation is next, Herceptin for the remainder of the year.

To this you can add changes in diet, appropriate levels of exercise, meditation, stress reduction, acupuncture, massage, energy work, etc.

I would not skip the doctor's regiment. There is not a way that has been successfully incorporated into the current Standard of Care guidelines to share who can skip treatments, and who needs them. The closest information is the testing that is done for the ER positive tumors. You didn't mention Mammaprint or any other test, my guess is either you are ER negative, or you didn't do this testing.

[Carol Ann]

I am chiming in to agree with 'Lizbeth, Arlyce. I started out with one tumor that was not HER2+++ in my right breast and I was hoping to avoid chemo. I had weeks to do all sorts of research both before and after my double mastectomy revealed I had HER2+++ in the "healthy" breast (see my signature) If you go through this site carefully, you'll find discussions and see signatures from women who started out using the holistic approach and the cancer came back with a vengeance. I wouldn't skip the remainder of your treatment regimen, either.

I too say combine the two approaches as 'Lizbeth suggested. That is really the best of both worlds!

Carol Ann

['lizbeth]

Once you become NED from initial treatment you can pursue a holistic lifestyle for cancer prevention.

[Carol Ann]

Ditto again, Arlyce! BTW, what a pretty name!

CA