Western Medicine for cancer: Increasing efficacy & minimizing side effects

Increasing efficacy & minimizing side effects

I am HR-, HER2+ (that is the sub-type of the breast cancer I have). It used to be one of the worst types to be in terms of treatment and survival but since the advent of HER2+ targeted immunotherapy, survival has increased greatly. Herceptin and Perjeta are monoclonal antibodies and both bind to the HER2 receptors on the cancer cells, keeping them from signaling successfully to the interior of the cell to reproduce. They also serve as a marker for our immune systems. “Hey, over here, I got one, come kill it!” They work in slightly different ways so, by having both, you are increasing the chance of it working. They are not a ‘cure’ in that it is considered inevitable that the cancer will figure out a way around it.

Standard of care in my case is TCHP… Taxol, Caroboplatin, Herceptin, and Perjeta. Remember, at diagnosis cancer had metastasized to my lungs, liver, lymph, every vertebrae and through my pelvis and I wanted to ‘blast the barnacles off the hull.’ Taxol and carboplatin are the big guns… standard chemotherapy that is very toxic. Herceptin and Perjeta are immunotherapies. Some consider them chemotherapies because they are chemical treatments to combat cancer and are infused through your ‘chemoport,’ but since they have very few toxic side effects and help your immune system, others don’t. I also took Zometa, a bisphosphonate that strengthens bones but also has a chemo-protective quality against bone metastases and so is referred to as chemotherapy when employed for that purpose. Generally, they give you TCHP in a cycle of 6 infusions.

Weekly carboplatin stopped early because I was also getting radiation in three different parts of my body at once. I got a small intestine infection and had to pull back. But my naturopathic protocol fortified me so much that I was able to continue weekly Taxol beyond 6 to 13. That may have made a difference. Standard of care (SOC) for Zometa is every 6 weeks. Because of the dangers of bisphosphonates and the fact that I am NEAD, I elected to decrease frequency to every 6 months instead and now have discontinued infusions altogether.

SOC for Herceptin and Perjeta is every three weeks for ‘life.’ By changing that frequency to once a month, I save the system $140,000+ and five days out of my life/year. I take ‘holidays’ from western medicine for 3-4 months a year, again because I am NEAD, and I like to winter in warm places where I don’t have insurance (I’m going to live until I die). To date, I have had around 90 infusions each of Herceptin and Perjeta, 20 of Zometa (I’m likely saturated for life), 13 of Taxol, and 5 of Carboplatin. I have had 51 total radiation treatments.

Increasing the efficacy of western medicine

Beta glucans and immunotherapy:

Immunotherapies such as Herceptin and Perjeta, are monoclonal antibodies. In addition to boosting the immune-system, fighting tumor growth, and restoring bone marrow, research has shown that beta glucans enhance the effects of monoclonal antibodies against established tumors.¹The good news is that beta glucans are readily available in mushrooms, oats, barley, and brewer’s yeast. Although the study was done in mice and didn’t test using beta glucans from diet, I think it’s pretty cool that by eating more of foods I like that are good for me in many ways, I may be increasing the efficacy of the immunotherapies I am using.

Drug rotation and ‘holidays’:

According to doctors, my eventual demise will come when cancer outsmarts the immunotherapies I take. There is another drug in the wings (Kadcyla, a chemo-infused version of Herceptin) to employ at that time but I want to resist needing it. While I don’t truly know if I can continue to survive without the immunotherapy, I may find out if I lose my insurance as politicians threaten (remember Senator Toomey, who referred to people like me as a burned-down house, not worthy of rebuilding?) Perhaps my naturopathic protocol is enough at this point.

Anyway, it’s been important for my emotional well-being to take a 3-4 month holiday from this ‘one-foot-in-the-grave shit.’ I leave home, go where no one knows me, work on my books, and stop all conventional cancer treatment (CCT). Mind you, my oncologists have kittens over this, nervously wringing their hands and worrying I will invoke the wrath of the cancer gods.

Here’s my reasoning… maybe surprising cancer every now and then works against its ability to figure out how to get around the drugs. Drug holidays have been found to be effective against ‘acquired resistance’ to certain drugs in cancer and other diseases. I haven’t found research on applicability of this concept to immunotherapies, but scientists think it has merit and have suggested clinical studies.²

I guess I’m your guinea pig. If I die soon, don’t try it. LOL

Mitigating the side effects of Conventional Cancer Treatments (Western medicine)

What worked for me

Nausea, loss of appetite:

Nourishment is important while undergoing treatment, but I rarely felt up to preparing or eating. Plus, chemo destroys your taste sense. I didn’t take anti-nausea drugs. They were useless and just another chemical I wished to avoid. I premade juices, bone broth and pureed soups, precut fruit, and steamed/roasted veggies while I felt good. Meat, raw veggies, and salads place a strain on digestive systems so I avoided them. Comfort food was tempting but is usually processed food with a high-glycemic index so I avoided it.

Sipping clear broth or a banana smoothie can be amazingly satisfying while having an infusion. Steamed broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, etc. tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper, made great finger food I could pop in my mouth, warm or cold, throughout the day. Boiled eggs and yogurt worked. Cannabis edibles and acupuncture helped tremendously with nausea and appetite. Acupuncture, ginger, mint, and herbal teas all helped tremendously.

Fatigue:

Sleep. Duh. Not so easy when you’re on steroids. Fatigue is made worse by inflammation so I avoided anti-inflammatory foods and tried to exercise however I could… even doing leg and arm lifts from my chemo chair. Meditation, fish oil, melatonin, CBD oil and other cannabis edible products helped.

Thrush:

Chemo and radiation damage the good microbes in your body, making you susceptible to opportunistic infections such as thrush. It’s very important to not have a Candida overgrowth. I stopped eating sugars and processed foods, drank Pau d’Arco tea all day and gargled with salt water.

Neuropathy:

Acupuncture, massage, fish oil, L-glutamine, alpha-lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, and exercise, especially yoga.

Muscle cramps:

Quinine tablets (as needed), cutting down on caffeine.

Toxicity:

I reasoned that if I were putting expensive toxins in my body to kill cancer, I should let them work for a while. Reducing all other toxins, once a week (the night before chemo) I took detox body and foot baths and had a coffee enema. I was having near daily radiation treatments and so ate seaweed and powdered greens daily to detox. (More in Part Two).

Brain fog:

Exercise, brain training (use it or lose it), fish oil.

Low blood counts:

Astragalus keeps your platelets, white and red blood cells up. It fights cancer, boosts your immune system, and mitigates fatigue. I take a tablet a day for three days before my infusion. My blood counts are exceptional.

Skin, Hair, Nails:

Biotin, collagen, MSM, Vitamin E. Aloe vera for radiation.

This post is from Book 2 of my Thrive Tribe Series, What I Did and Do and Why, a naturopathic protocol that helps me to survive and thrive, available from the bookstore, starting at $7. I am posting the entire book sequentially, in its entirety, on this blog once a week. Subscriptions are free.

Nothing contained on this website nor in my blogs or books should be construed as medical advice. I am not a doctor. I am a Stage IV metastatic breast cancer thriver who is currently NEAD and simply sharing my journey in the hopes it helps you to find your power and path. Please research anything I share to determine if it is a good choice for you. I believe in you! Bless you all on the path you choose.

All original content contained on this blog, What I did and do and why, is copyrighted 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Kaiulani Facciani, Snarling Wolf, Inc.