Aloe Vera juice
Aloe Vera juice I have recently been diagnosed with a metastatic carcinoma & am half way through my first dose of chemo, I was told about Aloe Vera for cancer so looked it up on the net.
It sounded very promising as many tests & trials have been done all over the world & it helps relieve some of the side effects of chemo & has been proven to halt the growth of tumors.
It also helps with bowl movement which i can say it works as since my chemo I have been constipated & after two days on Aloe my bowels are back to normal.
Just wanted to know if anyone else has tried this & have you had any posotive results.
I must say that since starting my chemo I have had no side effects & have felt reasonably well but I am all for taking natural products if I thought they would help heal my body.
Hi there Really pleased you’ve not got any bad side effects from chemo this far, and aloe vera juice might be helping you to feel better. I’m finding that red pepper houmous, olives, bacon butties, blueberries, strawberries and fizzy white wine are helping my third lot of chemo feel much more manageable! I know I have steroid induced hunger but its nice to have an excuse to indulge!
There is no scientific evidence though that aloe vera (or bacon butties) helps to cure cancer…beware of claims on the net…if they sound too good to be true they usually are.
Hope your treatment continues to go well.
Jane
Wenwoos and Jane Hi Wenwoos and Jane,
Yep, fizzy white wine seems to do wonders for chemo symptoms - Cava or Champagne.
I also suggest hiring an open topped sports car for a day. I haven’t tried it but I’m sure it will work.
Best wishes,
Sue
Well, each time I have my check-up, my onc says - whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. Something is working.
So if aloe vera seems to work, keep on taking it.
you say sparkling wine??? Hiya
Thanks for the replies reg. Aloe Vera juice, you have given me a few ideas ref. open topped sports car & bubbly eh…eh but whats the rules on wine as I keep forgetting to ask when I go see the onc.
I love the odd glass of wine but dare not touch it since treatment.
Keep up the positive attitude girls
Wenwoos
I read an article in the Daily Express 01.05.07 Dr Guy Ratclifffe, regarding alcohol that suggested that alcohol promotes the growth of existing tumours by increasing the growth in blood vessels via a hormone called VEGF that stimulates the growth of blood vessels. Cancel cells need a strong blood vessel lifeline fostered by alcohol. So after reading this I am alcohol free.
Aloe Vera has long been recognised by clinicians and some researchers as being a valuable addition to anti-tumour therapy. This is a link to an abstract of a paper written by a researcher in ocological radiotherapy as long ago as 1998 which shows that adding aloe vera to radiotherapy treatment already supported by melatonin doubles the response to therapy.
There is ongoing research into Aloe Vera in USA, AUstralia and here in Portugal and elsewhere as to how to best use it. Hopefully this will be published soon. As far as the digestive system is concerned, it is recognised to reduce fibrosis of the oesopahgus and to promote the recovery of the tiny hairs(cilia) which grow from cells which line the gut which are responsible for absorption of some nutrients and the safe passage of toxins out of the body by their swifter passage down the pan!
It also has some anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which you can test yourself - leave some jam on a plate exposed to air. Squeeze some fresh aloe vera juice from a leaf on half the surface and watch to see where the bacteria appear. You could equally experiment with its healing properties for burns but no-one in their right mind is only going to treat half the surface of a burn to see how well a remedy works…
Wishing you well,
Jenny
Hello,
I take it daily as I have also read articles that say it is really good and so far so good with the chemo. I have had 4chemos 2 more to go. I do also have a very healthy diet and hardly drink at all. I figure the more I can help my body the better it will help me to fight the cancer.
Wish you well
Hi, Fayjay
Good luck with the last 2 sessions of chemo.
I don’t drink at all now - not since a recurrence 4 years ago and the treatment for that. What’s the point in putting something in yoru body that makes it have to work harder when you want all it’s energy spent on fighting cancer and feeling good?
I missed wine and beer for at least 18 months-2 years, though I didn’t drink very day and was never a heavy or regular drinker anyway. It was something which tasted good and was a social habit with friends. It took them a long time to stop offering me a glass of whatever and still some people offer me the most uninteresting kitchen tumbler to drink water out of whilst they enjoy drinking out of fine crystal!
I found giving up cheese and all animal fat much easier, 11 years ago with the mastectomy and have found being vegan since last July easy except in the beginning getting used to eating bigger portions of salads and veggies and finding ways to prepare balanced meals for myself without animal protein, as well as spending more time in the kitchen. I’m still discovering new foods and new combinations and masses of new recipes and love piling up all sorts of fruits in a mixed fruit salad, spending the money I’d have spent on meat or fish on exotic and beautiful fruits and vegetables and the freshest of fresh local produce.
I think from the research I’ve read that keeping the Aloe Vera habit after chemo has finished may well help to protect you longterm.
Wishing you well,
Jenny x
Hi, Fay.
I’ve had 2 recurrences. The first, 4 years ago, was a regional recurrence in my mastectomy scar and axillary lymph nodes: stage III, grade 3, triple negative. Treated with 6 FEC (3+3) sandwiched with RT to the whole area including clavicular nodes.
Last year another recurrence crept up on me: mets in my left hip, one dorsal vertebra and 2 lymph nodes nestling in the cavity in my chest where the bronchi divide to each lung and the heart sits.
I’ve had RT to all these tumours - heavier doses to the bones than to the lymph nodes.
I follow Jane Plant’s programme which involves being vegan, lots of juices, strictly no dairy and a diet protective of my bone strength (focussing on keeping my body in a slightly alkali state), as well as practicing meditation, getting plenty of exercise and doing chi-kung and tai-chi. This apparently for some people is a very controversial approach but for me, when I read her books, after having followed the recs. from the Bristol Cancer Help Centre and dietary advice from Susannah Olivier (whose book is a good nutritional guide in most respects except non-dairy) during my 1st recurrence and treatment and still feeling grim. I have never felt so well and energetic as I have done these last 14 months since I started her programme. If you haven’t read her main book, there’s a new edition just out: Your Life in Your Hands, published by Virgin and available via Amazon. Ths gives the Why and How to make these changes. She’s not the only author who recommends this approach. There’s a growing number in the USA and the Group of Concerned Physicians there has a website and runs training courses to get people off animal protein. Many nutritionists there agree. Their breast cancer survival rates are significantly better than ours despite people having often to pay for their treatment and it’s not all down to conventional treatment.
It does mean a shift in lifestyle but I’ve found it worthwhile and am presently very well. I had practically no side effects from 12 weeks of radiotherapy and continued to run my business which involves lots of physical work. I couldn’t have done that last time around and suffered brutal fatigue. The major difference is the food and lifestyle factors I’ve changed, though the Bristol programme goes some way along the same path without having given me the same benefits.
Keep on juicing! It’s the most successful way to get all the cancer fighting elements we need.
Wishing you well,
Jenny x
Hi, Fay. Another approach to the same information is contained in T.Colin Campbell’s ground-breaking book “The China Study” He is Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and Cornell and Oxford University conducted a very long study over 27 years of nutrition and disease in China, from which he draws his conclusions.
Here’s a quote from a reviewer: “What is different about Campbell’s book is first the enormous about of scientific evidence he presents, and second the idea that eating not just fats and overly processed foods is bad for you, but that eating too much protein, especially animal protein, is correlated with the scourges of diabetes, cancer and heart failure. Animal protein consumption in conjunction with various carcinogens in the environment causes cancer, to put it bluntly, is his message. This surprising finding is supported by Campbell’s discovery that the effect of the carcinogen aflatoxin is almost completely negated when a low protein diet is followed. In particular, his research targets casein, protein from cow’s milk, as contributing to the formation of cancerous tumors. He believes that consuming diary products on a regular basis is dangerous to your health”.
He grew up on a dairy farm and is a very conventional scientist with a 50 year career of research in nutrition behind him at one of the world’s top universities.
He also explains in this book why this information has been ignored for so long. Cheap copies available from Amazon. Hope you and others find this useful.
Wishing you well,
Jenny x
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for the info I will take a look at amazon and see if I can get Your Life in Your Hands.
What was the bristol programme and how can I find out about that as well.
I am starting to exercise, but at the moment it is just walking with the odd bike ride. After the chemo has finished I want to get back in to it, but dont want to push it too hard as I have cancer in my hip back and pelvis as well as lungs.
I am not sure how well the chemo has done and do not have my scan until 13th Sept so fingers crossed. I do have a healthy diet and take supliments, which I am sure has helped with the side effects of the chemo, but any extra changes I can do to help myself I will do.
Kind Regards
Fay :o)
Hi, Fay.
You’re right to go easy on the exercise. Did your doc. say that walking and cycling were best at this stage? We all need individual advice on this. When I was waiting for the radiotherapy to work on my hip and pelvis and spine, I walked rather carefully and used a stationary bike - something no traffic was going to knock me off! but had to wait until after RT was finished to go swimming when any danger of skin reaction was passed.
There are some exercises you can do seated: they’re designed for obese people and are not strenuous but have a look at these and see if you feel you could do some of them without strain. It really will help you to get thru chemo more strongly and to recover more quickly. Does your hospital have a physio you can consult?
Here’s the exercise link: exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blobeseexercise.htm
The Bristol Programme is worked out by what is now called the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre in Bristol. Website: pennybrohncancercare.org/ They publish recipe books and a general guide to living with cancer called “the Bristol Approach to Living with Cancer” and sell rather expensive supplements. There is a widespread move against using vitamin and mineral supplements without first establishing if you need them which they continue to promote. There are some specific guidelines in Jane Plant’s book on this. If you live anywhere near Bristol you can make and appt. and pay to attend to get help with how to look after yourself with cancer. It’s a way to get an introduction to a number of alternative and complementary therapies and to join in group sessions with other cancer patients. Their DVD introductory package in my experience isn’t worth paying for - it’s more a promo than a real help and you can buy the book separately and probably very cheaply on e-bay. If you’re interested after reading their book you can put the money you’ve saved on their DVD package towards the cost of your visit there. You can also contact www.cancersupportinternational.com to read online about Jane Plant and also to make an appt. to consult her in London - but first read that book and see what you think. Remember to get the latest edition.
Hoping for a good scan result and that the chemo has done its job. I’ll be thinking of you till the 13th.
Wishing you well,
Jenny x
Hi Jenny,
Thanks a lot for all your info. The doctor has not really given me any indication with what to do with the exercise, just that I should start it.
I also have cancer in my left shoulder, and have a slight problem with mobility, but I must admit it has got better since starting the chemo.
I am not sure if I am having radiotherapy, I think it depends on how the chemo has done. I would rather have it than not have it, as everthing I can throw at the cancer I will.
The onc has told me that I cannot be cured, but I figure the longer I can fight it the nearer they get to a cure (hopefully).
I did have some information from the Bristol cancer centre about essiac tea and it was really helpful. The problem is you read so much stuff that your head ends up spinning.
I am starting a Tai chi course on 25th Sept I have also started to go for Reiki and I do visualisation whilst having it.
What is chi-kung? I have never heard of that? Is it good?
I have not checked out jane plant yet but i will soon.
Where are you with your treatment now? Do you have to take any medication? Do you have to have any more RT? Do you still go for regular check ups?
Hope you dont mind all the questions.
I will let you know how I get on with my results. 18th seems such a long time away, and then I have to wait for the results. The waiting is the worst bit.
Anyway take care Jenny.
Fay :o)
HI, Fay. I wondered which side your treatment is - you say you have a shoulder affected.
Yes, I still have checkups and can see my onc. at the drop of a hat - this usually means a longish wait on a thursday afternoon or bright and early … and a long wait… on a Monday. I went to see him to-day actually as I’ve been worried about a lump in my neck. He gave me the all clear saying its something in the connective tissue under the skin and will probably clear up on its own and nothing to do with my lymph nodes. He also has started me on Femara/Letrozole, because whilst I’m ER receptor negative I’m weakly PR receptor positive and I did have a good response to tamoxifen in the first 6 years and arimidex also protected me for 3 years after the first recurrence only breaking down in year 4. He wants some more blood tests in a month’s time. He also checked up to see if my shingles was completely gone and said that as my last white blood cell count was very low to take 1 more week’s acyclovir at a low dose - 400mg per day, as profilaxis. I think that now I’m aware more of getting my bones protected through balancing the pH of my food and I’ve stopped dairy, I should do better on the Femara than I did on Arimidex, despite the advance from stage III to Stage IV.
There are a couple of brilliant books on exercise for breast cancer but I still got my physio to go thru the book and to tick the pages which were safe for me to do. She also showed me some exercises to do with one of those stretchy exercise bands - very cheap you buy it by the yard or metre, which were to extend my mobility. I’m sure your hospital can make you an appt. or maybe Bristol could send you the list of trained practitioners and you could find a local one, or maybe even your local gym can put you in touch with someone experienced with breast cancer follow up. I’ll get the books out and post the details here.
Brilliant you are starting Tai-Chi. If you enjoy Reiki and find you can visualise, you will find Tai-Chi very centering and meditative. It’s amazing, ins’t it, how total concentration on a mind and body experience can take us to some other level. I find a good effect from a Tai-Chi class can last for days even when I don’t practice on my own. Chi-kung is very similar and my Tai-Chi teachers use it as part of the warm-up for a session. Chi is just the word for energy as you’ll find out. Chi-kung is a way of moving and breathing with the energy and you can use it to focus on raising the energy where your body needs it most to clear any blockages and to send healing to the areas of tumour damage. It is gentler than Tai-Chi and call also be done sitting down when you are tired - a great pick-me-up - Better than a strong cuppa! It is also very calming, but all this applies to Tai-Chi too but that’s a bit more strenuous - both great for improving your range of movement and sense of balance. The advantage of Chi-Kung is it can take you into a subtley different level of consciousness in very little time, when you don’t have the time to get into Tai-Chi. I do 6 chi-kung postures in a sequence and even the change from one posture to another is a part of the focussing and it takes me max 6 minutes - just holding each one for a minute, but I can also grab a minute or two. I used to adopt a chi-kung posture and slow my breathing for a couple of minutes in the changing room at the RT clinic while I was waiting my turn.
No more RT for me planned at the moment, thank goodness as I’ve had rather a lot this year!
So I guess your blood test is on the 18th. I’m glad you’re starting Tai-Chi the week after - it give you something to look forward to while you wait for the results. Maybe your Tai-Chi teacher knows a good physio if you haven’t found one by then.
Wishing you well,
Jennyxx
Hi Jenny,
thanks for the info.
My left shoulder is a bit restricted BUT it is better than it was before I started the chemo.
I have my CT scan on 18th to find out how the chemo has done. I also hope to find out if I am HER1 or HER2 as I dont know.
I will let you know how I get on with the Tai Chi. I am also hoping to get out on the bike tomorrow.
Once again thanks for the info
Fay :o)