#21 Minor Update - proper DCA dose & side effects

Hey, gang! I thought I'd provide an update based upon some recent developments with our alternative therapy.

As you'll recall one of the main items in our program is a substance known as DCA for short. This substance has been proven to re-awaken the mitochondria in cancer cells thus bringing on apoptosis or natural cell death. A slow process to be sure but a good thing none the less.

The dosage of DCA is a weight to milligram ratio. When we began use of this product Becky was above the 200 pound number on the scale. Based upon the numbers from an on line calculator her dose worked out to just shy of 1200 milligrams total for that weight.

Delayed light bulb moment here! As her weight declined so should have her dose..... a fact we both totally overlooked. Also we had decided that one capsule every 12 hours or so would ensure that there was always enough DCA circulating in her system so as to always be available to the cancer. Another OOPS moment. That initial 1200 mg dose was calculated to be taken once every 24 hours.... not 12. As her weight came down the dose should have followed to keep the same amount of DCA available in her system..... thus her dose NOW should be roughly 770 mg rather than the starting rate of 1200..... and certainly FAR less than the 2400 mg she was taking.

The effect of this higher than necessary dose rate has been the onset of a problem with her fine motor skills..... noticeable mostly by trembling hands. Additionally she had developed some peripheral neuropathy and also easily induced generalized fatigue. After spending several days researching everything she is taking for side effects and possible negative interactions with other medications and supplements I found the DCA connection.

Fortunately the "cure" for all those bothersome side effects is rather simple. Just stop taking the DCA for a little while..... three days minimum..... one to two weeks at the most. All those problems should be alleviated after that time and she can then resume the DCA at it's proper dose rate and level.

Thus we encounter again the dark side of alternative cancer therapy..... lack of good solid information due to the fear that either the American Cancer Society or the FDA.... or both are going to track you down and lock your ass up. (Yes... it happens all the time and has been going on for well over 60 years) There is very little "Freedom of speech" when the pocket books of large pharmaceutical companies are in danger of getting less money. Simply put.... your life and the lives of those you love come in a far distant second to profits for the drug companies and the power of the FDA.

Anyway.... if you are using or planning on using DCA keep a close eye on the weight of the patient. Change the total mg dose rate as necessary to compensate for fluctuations in total body weight. If you detect ANY of the symptoms noted above simply stop taking the DCA for a minimum of 3 days and monitor for the reduction of those symptoms. Use the DCA in concert with black tea and vitamin B1 to increase its effectiveness. If necessary adopt a program of DCA for three days followed by a three day break. Continue the black tea and B1 during the break.

Additionally..... remember that *everything* that enters your blood stream passes through your liver. The liver can become over taxed by both environmental toxins and debris resulting from dying cancer cells..... and needs to be maintained. One simple method is to squeeze the juice of one fresh lemon into an 8oz glass of filtered or purified water and drink that at the start of each day. During the day to can also take Milk Thistle to aid in cleansing and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA or just plain ALA) to help generate new liver cells and serve as a powerful anti-oxidant.

As always.... be good to each other.

Peace

#20 Slow progress

Hello again to everyone following along here. Sorry for the huge gaps between posts but, for the most part, fighting cancer is a lot like watching grass grow in reverse. On a day to day basis not a whole heck of a lot is noticeable so there's not much to write. Over slightly longer time spans though one can begin to note subtle changes.

We had another visit with the Oncologist at the Arlington Cancer Center today. He tried to push Chemo again and again Becky politely declined with the comment.... "That's our last resort." I suspect our anti-chemo attitude is ticking him off a little bit. While there is absolutely no way of knowing for certain..... there is a possibility that he could get some sort of kick-back from the drug companies for that type of therapy. That or the mark up just just so damn high that having a patient *not* taking it is a substantial pay cut.

Even with our continuing refusal of the Chemo he did tell us that the masses seem to be getting smaller. Our unspoken question was "Well... if the masses are getting smaller without the Chemo..... why would we want to start that protocol?" Also the ulcerations on her breast have begun to heal. Becky isn't sure if that's a good thing or not. She always felt they were something of a drain for stuff to escape. Nothing nasty ever did, however, so I view the healing over as yet another positive sign of our alternative progress.

Weight wise she is down to about 165 right now. Considering that when we met she was pushing 240 that's a considerable drop. Her dietary habits have changed some since then too and that's the most likely reason. She no longer guzzles 6 to 12 diet Cokes a day! (A shock to those of you who knew her back then I know) She's kicked a lot of the "bad food" habits and is eating more frequent, smaller healthier meals instead. Her joints, for the most part, bother her a lot less now. She still has to deal with a touch of bursitis in her left shoulder and hip joint though. If she could just keep from doing things to strain or injure those joints she'd be a lot better off.

Otherwise the only notable development was the sudden appearance of a painful red rash on her left side below her breast and around her side to just about half way to her spine. A steroid injection and some topical ointment seem to have taken the pain out of that and it's slowly fading away. She is still able to work every day and that is important to her mental health. She is simply not the sort of person who can sit around and do nothing.

On our visit to the local Dr. about the rash we had him address her painful urination issue. Come to find out she had a substantial urinary tract infection going on. A few days and several antibiotic pills later and she is happy to report the pain there is going away. That and the reduction in the rash both please me greatly because I sincerely hate to see and hear my Sweetheart in pain.

For now, however, we are continuing with mostly alternative therapy and it seems to be showing positive results. The Arimadex is our only nod towards conventional medicine here. As I explained previously it is an estrogen inhibitor and her particular cancer is estrogen receptive. Naturally we wish to deprive that cancer of as much support as we possibly can.... so she takes one Arimadex pill a day.

Beyond that there are items to stimulate her immune system and keep her liver functioning as well as possible. Additionally she takes Laetrile orally as well as using Oleander in a capsule form. The final weapon in our fight is the DCA powder which I put into capsules so she can take that too. Thus we are attacking the cancer on four different fronts with four different weapons. To date that seems to be working as well as can be expected.

As previously stated..... she didn't develop the cancer over night and it's not going to go away over night either. From a mainstream medical perspective she's already been cured. She was aware of the cancer 6 or 7 years ago and is still alive today..... doing better all the time too! Statistically once you know you have cancer and are still alive five years later..... you are considered cured. I guess that's because it takes Chemo and radiation five and a half to six years to kill you...... so they picked the safer number of five years as the official "cure" point. We do what we can each and every day and pray for the best.

Y'all take care of each other out there...... and remember to VOTE tomorrow!!! It's the only time you have to make your voice heard..... don't waste it.

For my opinions on things political try: http://moveondotblog.blogspot.com
Word of caution.... put on your thick skin and fasten your seat belt!