Comments

Topic Roundtable for 7-26-21 – Epi 2921 — 15 Comments

  1. Hi Jack. Thanks for what you do. I’m not sure if it is still practiced and can’t remember the name of it it but there is/was a practice in China that any time an aggressive treatment, like chemo or radiation, is given that they will do everything they can to make the person as comfortable as possible which usually consists of classic herbal adaptogenic preparations.

    I’m sorry I don’t remember more, I read it in some kind of herbalist book but haven’t been able to find it again. I just thought this fit in a little today.

  2. For Lauren, might be helpful to look into Rick Simpson Oil (and maybe also Reishi tincture) to help your brother. Best wishes to you.

  3. Compound/Supplements that may help support you health when you have cancer
    Turmeric though further research is need (https://www.webmd.com/cancer/can-turmeric-fight-cancer) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27837604/)up to 8 grams daily is considered safe.
    Ginger possibly because it is a COX2 inhibitor 1100 mg 2 time a day
    Sulforaphane uncertain dose. Found in uncooked cruciferous vegetable. Best source broccoli sprouts(1/2-1 cup each day?).
    IP6(https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/inositol-hexaphosphate)
    A combination of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Alpha Lipoic acid, and GcMAF (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23780980/)

  4. Forum boreal podcast had a very interesting and lengthy episode with doctor apsley on suppressed cancer cures and has covered all kinds of things that happened in medicine going back 100 years or more

    Gary Null who has a daily podcast on alternative health and other issues also says that he will take up treatment of terminally ill patients at no charge that the medical system says they cant help and he says he has cured many such people. He is out of new York city and has been in alternative health going back into the 1970s and is a PhD. I listen to his show all the time, he convinced me that hard exercise is good for your health so I ride my bicycle up to an hour a day and peddle fairly hard and it has helped me alot at my age and having a desk job. He convinced me a lot on vitamins and supplements as well. he has done health retreats also tho they don’t seem cheap

  5. Hi Loren – I’m so terribly sorry that your brother and family are going through this. I’ve worked as an in-patient oncology nurse in both a community hospital and an ivy league teaching hospital. My experience is limited to both the hospital and major medical perspective vs alternative/holistic treatment options.

    My university teaching hospital used a service called Up To Date for our practitioners to reference and guide treatment protocols. It compiles all of the most recent evidence based practice and treatment for just about every possible condition. It is a subscription service but well worth the cost. I would also suggest looking online at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The network includes 30+ of the top cancer hospitals in the country. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle leads some of the most cutting edge pancreatic cancer research and treatment in the country.

    If he has not already done so, your brother will need to do some soul searching as to his goals for treatment and the quality of life. For example, is his goal to try every intervention possible in an attempt to live as long as possible even if that means the last weeks of his life are spent in a hospital? Or is quality of life most important to him? He can change his goals but he does need to have a starting point to guide his current decision making.

    From what I have seen, once a diagnosis is made patients can find themselves whisked away on a runaway train of treatment and interventions that can be very hard to stop. Interview doctors. Oncology MDs tend to be optimistic. They have to be in order to deal with so much suffering. Some are better than others. I have seen oncologists who are reluctant to refer patients to hospice care or who have prescribed chemotherapy when a patient had less than 24 hours to live. Others are amazingly caring and intuitive and will walk with your brother and his family on his journey.

    Again, as much as possible he should try to get clarity on HIS goals. Outpatient treatment can lead to inpatient stays for side effects. Is he ok being separated from his support system while in the hospital? Unfortunately, COVID has tightened visiting restrictions and in some cases eliminated hospital visitors altogether. It can be very isolating and emotionally draining to be hospitalized without in-person family support.

    Your brother needs a living will and/or power of attorney as soon as possible. These documents help guide treatment planning and decision making once your brother is no longer in a position to do so for himself. He needs to establish one point person as a decision maker for him should he no longer be able to decide for himself. Ideally this person is local. This can be difficult and many patients want more than one person. If the family relationship and communication is excellent then that can work. If it’s anything less than excellent then it can get complicated very quickly.

    Establish a connection with local palliative care and/or hospice services. These are 2 different entities with differing objectives. Palliative care aims to ease suffering and help you live as well as possible now. You do not need a terminal diagnosis to access palliative care support. These doctors are experts in cancer pain management. And cancer pain can differ from garden variety pain in a significant way. Major medical centers will have palliative care providers available to both in-patients and out patients (MDs, therapists, pain management specialists). Smaller community hospitals may have one or two in patient providers available. Hospice care is available to those who have 6 months or less to live. Hospice aims to ease suffering but also withdraws further active life saving measures. They provide support not only to the patient but also to the family for up to one year following your loved ones passing. There are various hospice providers both national and local. If he does not “click” with one then meet with another group before signing on to hospice care.

    I have so much more that I can share but this is getting long and probably overwhelming. If you, or your brother, have more questions I’d be happy to connect with you.

  6. I am so sorry to hear of Loren’s brother’s diagnosis; pancreatic cancer is a tough disease. One thing to remember is that even with the low survival rate, it’s greater than zero so *some* people do beat it, or outlive the predictions. That can be a reason and incentive to keep hope alive and keep fighting. My husband was diagnosed in October 2016 and passed away in September 2018 and never gave up until near the end.

    Leaving suggestions for alternative treatments to others, the best resource I know of for pancreatic cancer is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org). They advocate molecular profiling of the tumor as an aid in determining what treatments are likely to be most effective; they say that people who enroll in clinical trials have the best outcomes and they can help connect patients with resources to have the molecular profiling done and with the best hospitals and clinical trials for their situation based on the profiling results. This is a good place to start: https://www.pancan.org/news/8-things-to-know-about-a-pancreatic-cancer-diagnosis/. One caveat – in my husband’s case molecular profiling was done by the oncology practice he used, but they were oddly (in my opinion) reluctant to work with Pancan and I never got a straight answer as to why. A patient and his advocates have to be prepared to go after information and treatments fairly aggressively.

    One of the most frustrating things about cancer research is that it seems that the cancers with the most numerous and attractive survivors tend to have the most visible fund-raising and support organizations. Even though I’ve had very early stage breast cancer myself, I really have to try very hard not to resent all the publicity and money and the pink ribbons people wear for a disease with an overall 5-year survival rate of 90% (breast cancer) vs crickets for one with a 10% survival rate (pancreatic). (Source http://www.cancer.org) The lesson there is that research money can make a difference.

    I wish Loren and his brother the best.

  7. Jack,
    Love the show started listening after hearing Dixie
    Mention you on her YouTube.
    Joined Support brigade last year when COVID-19 started.

    Responding to the paleo hiking question
    I make dried eggs into an omelette with dried onions, peppers and tomatoes then add bacon bits once it is rehydrated

  8. Hey Jack,

    As far as audio books go, especially related to history, check out Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast if you haven’t already. Not a “book” per se but very intriguing. I listened to all of them when I used to commute 45 minutes…

    Justin

  9. Hello Jack. I know you are not a big fan, but a really good audio book is Green Lights read by the author Mathew McConaughey. It was suggested to me by a friend , and it changed my view of him a bit.

  10. Save money on buying the Freedom Phone. Buy the same phone from Rob Braxman who has been making these for over a year.

    Here’s a recent video he made on them after being bombarded with questions on these phones.

    https://youtu.be/PHV2bAbLPu4

    Justin Case

  11. Cancer Treatment – ALPHA LIPOIC ACID

    Get intravenous infusions, don’t rely on the pills. This treatment is available all over the country but if it were me I would go to the man himself, Dr. Berkson in New Mexico. Here is his website: http://drberkson.com/

    I’ll email Jack directly with more info.

    Background: My father in law was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer 6 years ago. A nurse friend of his suggested ALA. FIL went to New Mexico, got Dr. Berkson to put together an ALA and Vitamin C infusion treatment plan, and FIL is now totally cancer free having never done a single round of chemo.