Re: Herceptin - Bladder and/or sleep changes?
 

There are concentrated cranberry pills available also. I used to drink jars and jars of cranberry juice - bought them from either Sam's or Walmart [and grocery store when they are on sale.]

The pills have the advantage in that it cuts down the sugar intake and it can be more effective with a lot of water intake. But usually an infection has to get cleared by antibiotics, otherwise it just comes back (because it was never 'cured' - the bacteria is still there) again and again. The clinic requires us to go get a urine sample done before they prescribe antibiotics.

About being a vegeterian - it has a lot of benefits and I think it it great to reduce animal fat intake and red meat. Many Buddhist monks live very long life - because they are vegeterians or because of reduced stress or because there's less air pollution up on the hills where most temples are located? (probably all of the above.)Someone has to do a double blind research on the subject.

But regarding cancer prevention/treatment effect, I'm not sure about that. My Mother discovered her Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma right around the 10th year after she had adopted the vegeterian diet. (Traditionally Chinese Buddhists do that after middle age to avoid 'killing' animals. After her cancer treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation,) she returned to normal diet and has not had any problem ever since 1999. Most of the dieticians (including my Sister-in-law who has many cancer clients) would advise against any diet that is not a 'balanced' diet.

Mother did shed around 15-20 lbs while a vegeterian and it probably had cut down her risk of cardiovascular disease. She had been a 'chubby' person since childhood. Now she's a 'fit' 87-year-old.

Now that my 2nd Brother has also survived a (colon) cancer diagnosis and treatment, we are pretty sure there's some kind of gene involvement in all these. All three of us grew up in different environment and found cancer while we were living apart.

Re: Herceptin - Bladder and/or sleep changes?
 

Vegetarian diets can be well balanced, except for possibly B12, which I take in supplement form.
You are right about the monks Jackie. I had some Buddhist monks as students. They looked so young and healthy and were so full of life. I asked what their secret was. They invited me to lunch. The food was delicous, well balanced and nourishing. I also had a professor who is a former monk. He always had more energy and zest for life than any of his students who were much younger. He was taking stairs 3 at a time while we students were waiting for the elevator. I started asking those people to teach me about nutrition and became a vegetarian soon after that.
100% cranberry juice can be found without added sugar in health food stores. However, the supplements might give more healing power than a few glasses of juice, because they can be found in higher doses.
Sometimes we can find frozen cranberries in the store.
I add agave syrup which has a lower glucose level or honey instead of addding alot of sugar during the cooking process.