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Wow, I was hoping for at least one reply....

I really can't think of anything to help the chemo itself, but depending on what type of cancer she has, there may be some herbal ways to counteract it. I spoke to a lady who had breast cancer, and she told me that her doctors had done the chemo thing, and it didn't work, so she went to an herbalist, who gave her a mixture of four herbs to take daily, and her cancer went into remission within the month.

A suggestion made by a good friend of mine is that cancers can only live in an acidic environment. If you eat lots of foods that are bases, then the cancer has a harder time.

It would really help me to research it if you could say what type of cancer it is exactly or what body system it's effecting. I've been looking into it a little and I've read that different cancers are treated best with different things. However, I did find out a couple things your friend can take to help with the chemo. The worst thing about chemo is that it destroys the good cells along with the bad cells. Your friend needs to first of all eat a healthy diet with lots of fiber and lots of fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water. The chemo won't be so devastating if she's as healthy as possible. Some recommendations from one of my books -

Shark liver oil- taken prior to radiation therapy has been shown to protect healthy tissue against the therapy. It contains alkylglycerols (AKG's), vitamin A and E, omega-3 fatty acids, trace minerals, and squalene.

Glutamine - Can reduce adverse side effects from chemo.

Vitamins B6 (pyridoxine), coenzyme Q10, glutathione, and vitamin C can help the body deal with the damage that might be caused by chemo.

Also, I read that conventional therapies like the chemo your friend is doing are not as good at fighting cancer in the lungs, pancreas, liver, and bone, or advanced colon and breast cancers as they are at fighting other kinds of cancer.


Here's a little more...

For bladder cancer -
Eat lots of veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. My book calls them "cruciferous" veggies, which I don't think I've ever heard before. Also eat the USDA recommended servings of fruits like apples, berries, cherries, oranges, pears, and tomatoes. Drink a lot of liquids, especially pure FILTERED water. Taking vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a milivitamin would help too. Also there is a non-toxic solvent called Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) which is approved by the FDA and has been shown to help.

For cervical cancer-
A diet that's low in fatty meats like pork, red meat, cheeses, and white bread and that is high in soy products, fruit, dark green veggies, tomoatoes, whole grains and yogurt are best. Shiitake mushrooms are good as well. This type of diet protects against cervical cancer so I'd imagine it would help if your friend is being treated for it. Also, folic acid can sometimes reverse precancerous changes in cells and shark cartilage can help in fighting or preventing cervical cancer.

For colorectal cancer -
Prevention is basically a high fiber/vegetarian diet or a diet low in fat, red meat, alcohol and refined foods. Eating lots of veggies, fruit, soy, fish, low/non-fat dairy, and lots of veggie/fruit juice. Avoiding drinking tap water (chlorine very bad). Moderate amounts of coffee (one to two cups a day) can also reduce risks. Probiotics like yogurt can inhibit colon cancer. Quercetin has also been shown to have anti-cancer properties when it comes to colon cancer.

For esophageal cancer -
Prevention/protection is a diet high in fruits (includes tomatoes) and veggies. Fish berries, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts (stuff with omega-3 fatty acids) offer protection. Increased risk comes with eating salted, pickled, or moldy foods. Also eating really hot or cold foods that cause physical damage to the esophagus can contribute to higher risk. If your friend has it I'd say to avoid those things that cause increased risk of getting it in the first place. Spirulina has been found to inhibit the growth of oral tumors in some studies.

For lung cancer -
Prevention includes diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Also Shiitake mushrooms are really good. Selenium, lycopene, lutein, and glutathione might help reduce risks of getting it as well. Genistein (found in soybeans) may inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells.

Well, I'm getting tired of writing now. The book I used to look up that info is called Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch and James F Balch. I only put a teeny tiny bit of the information that they have in it on cancer. Your friend should try to find it at the library or buy a copy at a local health/herbal store if they sell books. It was written by a doctor and his wife who's a nurse so the info they give is practical and useful. Plus it's good to use to discuss things with your doctor that you're worried about. It keeps you from getting nothing but the standard treatment since you go to the doctor already knowing some of your options.

Hehe, you're welcome. Also, wheatgrass therapy is helpful for some kinds of cancer as well. I just bought these chewable tablets called yummy greens which are actually made for children. I got the sour apple flavored ones. They aren't too bad and they have a lot of great things in them. Spurulina, organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, kelp, algae, etc. Anyways, all those sorts of things are great for cancer. Maybe your friend should look into them. I have several risk factors for different types of cancer, mostly skin caner, so I'm going to try to take that sort of thing as a preventative medicine.

That's actually a very good thought. I mean, it's logical.

Growth hormones are made to promote rapid cell reproduction (rapid growth) and rapid cell reproduction is cancer. So.... *shiver*

And people wonder why i'm so picky about what I eat or drink.

Same here. I like meat. XP