My supplemental diet/herb daily intake

[CLTann]

I have a low grade post mastec cancer in early Sept, 2005. Since then, no chemo and no radiation, my principal medication is arimidex. Being ER/PR/HER2 positive, I am always wary of any abnormal pain or sore anywhere. Meanwhile, I have the following diet/supplements:

olive oil only for cooking
very little red meat
limited amount of chicken or turkey
small servings of tofu or soy products
curatin pills (the yellow part of curry)
freshly ground linseed every morning mixed in oatmeal cereal
ganoderma pills
fish oil pills, omega-3 rich oil pills
no canned foods
no deep fried foods, no animal fats, no hydrogenated fats
fish, steamed or stir-fried
non-refined rice
mixed grain bread
various beans, potato, yam
vitamin pills of different types, calcium pills

Does anyone have any comment and/or suggestions? Thanks for any reply.

Ann

Ann,
This list is close to what I was doing/taking before my mets dx nearly 3 1/2 yrs ago. I would have to add a number of things to your list and subtract a few, but it's close.

When I was dx'd with mets, I stopped all such deprivation and the added expense. Since then, I have eaten what I felt like when I felt like it. My only remaining 'supplement' is Melatonin.

My comment is: Life is for living. Do what makes you feel good, no matter what it is, when it comes to your body/health/mind.

Best wishes,
pattyz

12-1999: Age 50, Dx'd Invasive Ductal & Inflammatory. Two tumors, upper and lower inside quadrants R/breast.

1-2000: Mast., 6/26 pos. nodes. ER+PR-, Heu2+++ StageIIIb - 4rnds A/C, no rads (my choice & no medical ins.)

7-2002: Dx'd mediastinal node/s mets, (surgical biopsy), 'spot' on lung and pelvis. Arimidex briefly.

9-2002: Dx'd brain mets. (mininally symptomatic) Two lesions, 1.5cm, 6mm. SRS focalized tx successful. Refused WBR.

11-2002: Navelbine/Herceptin 4rnds for systemic mets, scans show NED.

3-2003: Progression of brain mets. 14 new lesions visable. Asymptomatic. Continue to refuse WBR. "Watch and wait " approach. Treat in small batches with two more SRS, two CyberKnife procedures through 5-2004. NED in body.

3-2005: Progression brain mets - maybe 10 new lesions, asymptomatic. (otherwise NED) Again 'watch and wait' approach until...

8-2005: Dizzy 24/7 in the course of just one day. Begin Temodar/Xeloda.

9-28-2005: Following 2 rnds, MRi shows response of nearly 50% shrinkage in many brain mets, including brainstem/pons. Dizziness gone.

11-28-2005: MRi duplicate of previous films- after 4rnds T/X, mets remain responsive w/ more shrinkage nearing 50%. Continue Temodar/Xeloda.


12-19-2005: Onc confers w/rad onc re: past scans. Determine that some of the 'new' lesions are not new at all, but old treated spots just vaguely visable.

Phew!

I can understand your view. It must be a case of each to their own. It is impossible to imagine the personal journey you have been through for somebody who has not like me.

CLTann you may want to look at the post dealing with retenoic acid and relations "binding up the oestrogen receptors".

An interesting book on diet was written by Adelle Davies - the raw food diet.

You have not mentioned greens and veg. It is suggested in trials that greens contain all sorts of compounds that fit in somewhere, and retinoids come from greens a highly coloured veg. Brocolli is often mentioned but many of the greens seem to have their own benifits. A juicer is my suggestion. I juice my self and it becomes moreish, and contrary to what you would expect tastes good if you mix things up a bit.

Whey protein is on my list - cold extracted - the large tubs used by bodybuilders - its cheaper.

CLA from diary also looks interesting, as do Q10 and reservatrol. Curcumin can be got in powder, fish oil in the bottle etc which might be cheaper but you would have to look at dosages etc. Supplements are available as are natural soucrces of some items. Mushrooms have some particular beniftis too, and not just the posh ones.

Try looking at the Life Extension, and annieappleseed site they have some interesting abstracts and comment on diet and cancer. There is also a breast cancer diet on the articles of interest section.

It is very much a personal decsion, a huge subject and no guarantees. For particular issues try the NCBI site and use the search engine.

I am sorry I can not be more definative.

RB

[Becky]

Ann


I take one Solatron (GNC brand) multi vitamin/mineral (no iron version)

6 Fish oil tablets (2 with every meal)
350mg CoQ 10 (200 breakfast, 100 lunch, 50 dinner)
I take 2 maitake mushroom capsules 2X a day (breakfast and dinner)
one evening primrose
4 olive leaf capsules (2 breakfast and 1 with each other meal)
1 cod liver oil tablet (since it has an extra dose of A&D)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil every morning
1 magnesium with one cranberry extract (that has Calcium in it)

I eat cereals and fruits for breakfast (a variety of different ones). I add an "extra" thing that is different everyday. Like one day it might be walnuts or almonds. I add ground flax 2X per week (or add it to pancake batter - I am careful with this on a daily basis since I am also ER+ but 2X a week is what I think is fine) or I add wheat germ. Cereals are all no sugar. Ones I eat include oatmeal, Uncle Sam's cereal, shredded wheat, Cheerios and All Bran extra bran. I use skim milk in all other circumstances except for the breakfast cereal in which I use 2% (gives a boost to all that fiber and a dose of CLA that is only present in high fat dairy).

For lunch I work where there is a huge salad bar so I have a salad with legumes and veggies. I put about a tablespoon of olive oil on and then lemon wedges. Sometimes I will have a smaller salad and a piece of veggie pizza. Sometimes the hot meal is a good one - like salmon with rice and veggies (but they don't have this much).

Dinner is chicken 2X week and fish 2-3X week (sometimes not the high omega 3 type cuz you can't eat salmon or tuna all the time - sole, flounder, cod etc) and vegatarian meals. I do eat red meat - maybe twice a month. Lots of veggies - always brown rice or whole wheat pasta. I do the sweet potatoes instead of white if baking (but I feel that mashed potatoes is a food group onto itself that cannot be resisted by mortal man). I really round robin veggies to get a variety and think about the foods I eat "by the week" versus "by the day". For example, if I eat carrots and broccoli today I will have asparagus and squash tomorrow. I look at what I included weekly cuz you can't eat everything everyday.

I do use tumeric but naturally (much like Rhonda on this board). I make my own salad dressings at home and put a teaspoon in there and I always put it in the rice water when making rice (or cous cous). I drink green tea but I always drank tea and if I go out, I will get unsweetened tea to drink (green and white have more antioxidants than black tea but black tea is still an excellent and healthful drink). I eat mushrooms but usually just the normal kinds from the grocery store (button, shitake and portobello) and all kinds of fresh and dried herbs for cooking. I really believe that there is something good in everything (whole foods wise).

I do have a glass of red wine now and then (and during the holidays I had more than one) but I really try to be good because during the week, I am too busy to get tired from a glass of wine.

I exercise a lot too. I walk at least 4 miles a day and about 3X week I do an exercise tape. Sometimes I run instead of walk.

For the record (and I think you and I have responded to one another on this board before), I am ER+ (50%) and PR (negative but actually less than 5% which some consider neg and some not) and of course, Her 2+++.

So, this is what I do to try to prevent a recurrence. I think if I do, I will really be at peace with it and work hard again on chemo because I feel I am doing everything I can. This isn't hard for me because I have incorporated this as my lifestyle and I haven't felt so healthy and good in years. (My 14 yr old daughter however is wondering if she will ever see white foods (besides mashed potatoes) ever again - maybe she will thank me one day).

Best wishes

Becky