My Alternative Cancer Diary : cancer

Becoming a Practitioner

Sue Insole — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:48:00 GMT

My decision to become a nutritionist was directly related to my own experiences using nutrition to cure my breast cancer.

The dietary changes I made following my diagnosis arguably saved my life, and my decision not to have surgery was perhaps the most important I ever made. I wanted to get the message out about how much I was helped by nutritional therapy. While combatting my own cancer I had learnt a lot about nutrition and the limitations of conventional medicine, and I wanted to use my knowledge to help other people.

In November 2006 I passed my examination for nutritional therapy with over 80 per cent, which I was really pleased with. After Christmas I took the first steps towards starting my own practice – I put leaflets and business cards in the local health shops, and gained a few clients as a result. The practice has been gradually building since.

In February I started my website, Natural Health Benefits, to help me get the message out. I dedicated it to my daughter, who was my key reason for setting it up. If just one family didn’t have to suffer as we had after following medical advice, it would be worthwhile.

The trouble with doctors and cancer treatment is that they see cancer as a localised malignant disease – and so they set out to “fix” it by reducing the tumour using drugs, surgery and radiotherapy. Unfortunately none of these methods can distinguish between what is healthy tissue and what is cancerous tissue.

Meanwhile, alternative therapy sees the whole body operating as a system and a tumour as a sign that something has gone wrong with that system. Alternative medicine sees the person as the total of body, mind, emotions and spirit. Treatment is aimed at the whole person: the approach is holistic and helps the body to heal itself by stimulating the body’s own immune system.

Unfortunately, modern medicine’s approach to cancer is at loggerheads with the alternative approach, which I think is really sad. Surely ANY possible cure should be looked at – no matter where it comes from?

My Healthy Life

Sue Insole — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:20:00 GMT

We had put our house on the market earlier in the year and at the end of November 2005 we sold up in Cardiff and moved 45 miles away to Swansea. It was a very stressful time as most moves are, especially as we had booked up a holiday to go away for Christmas again to Fuerteventura, and the time of the completion was likely to clash with it. However it all went ahead OK in the end – but not without mishaps and delays and we didn’t have time to sort out the house we had moved to a great deal so had it all to face when we got back in January.

When we got back, I caught a really bad flu type virus, which seemed to hang around for ages. I think it was a combination of the stress of moving, the hard work we were putting in and coming back from a warm climate to the wet and cold – which left me feeling low. I have learned since then to get rid of viruses by taking vitamin C every couple of hours. Any virus that I’ve picked up since then has lasted just 1-2 days.

As I was ill, I had to cancel my scan in January and went at the end of February 2006 instead. I remember that there was snow on the ground the day we went and it was freezing cold. This scan was not quite as good as the last one: the nipple area difference was now 2.9 degrees and the blood test PK had gone up to 37.00. However, when I explained that I had been ill with a viral infection for 3 weeks, had moved within the last few months and had been overdoing things a bit, he said that my immune system being lowered was probably the reason and I was not absorbing the vitamins as much.

I went back on to the apricot kernels four to five times a day, and got plenty of rest. It was a good summer and we used to go to the beach quite a bit to take advantage of the weather. We carried on doing the work in the house, but at not such a frantic pace. By June it was more or less finished, so we took a short holiday to Turkey where the gloriously hot weather really lifted my spirits. The food was great there too and it was really easy to eat healthily. I was eating salads a lot as it was so hot and I tried my first ever Turkish bath and massage which was great, as it really got the toxins out and made me feel fantastic. All in all we had a really relaxing time.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

SUSAN INSOLE, BSYA (N Th.) is a former NHS nurse and is now a nutritional therapist in the field of natural health. She worked in a health care setting for 16 years, firstly in the field of rehabilitation and then as a welfare officer and secretary within a hospital setting. She was also an advisor for weight loss in 2001 - 2003. She achieved a diploma in 2006 for nutritional therapy. She is the author of a downloadable eBook, What Works in Health. Her website is: www.naturalhealthbenefits.com.

The Obstacles to Eating Healthily

Sue Insole — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:26:00 GMT

I carried on with the diet and supplements. When I had been away at Christmas I ate really well and found that I could still enjoy a lot of good food without feeling that I was “depriving” myself of anything.

However, having to watch what I ate all the time did get to me at times. I’m not the kind of person that responds well to a strict diet - I remember spending a weekend in London, and planned to go to a Greek Restaurant after a show – only it was closed by the time we got there. There was nowhere else around to eat other than burger bars, fast food places and steakhouses and so we ended up back at the hotel restaurant, eating chicken kiev (there was no other realistic choice – and it wasn’t very nice) – and I was mightily ****ed off!

Another time we were in Bristol and scouted high and low looking for somewhere to have lunch and we couldn’t find anywhere to go which had the kind of food that I could – or wanted to eat. Even the sandwich bars didn’t have any wholemeal bread. So I ate some fruit and some nuts and went without.

I have learned since then to take my own food with me when going to an unfamiliar place – as you can’t always rely on restaurants serving what you can eat. It also makes you realise how many fast food places like burger bars, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza huts there are around compared with cafes and restaurants that serve good wholesome food!

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

Further Digestion Problems

Sue Insole — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:38:00 GMT

In September 2004 I visited my GP as I was suffering from bouts of diarrhoea and was worried that I was not absorbing my supplements enough. He told me to take Imodium to stop it, but the symptoms persisted along with other IBS symptoms I had not experienced for a long time.

During this time I lost a lot of weight, developed a high temperature and, worst of all, I was too ill to eat very much or take my supplements for several weeks. For a time I was convinced that my cancer had spread to my bowel and I was wasting away.

I consulted a local alternative therapist recommended by a friend, who temporarily took over my health care. I am so glad he did! He told me exactly what my health problem was – my own doctor didn’t have a clue, and the prescribed medicine was useless – and treated me with a combination of homeopathic medicine, a special diet, health supplements and fasting, until I recovered.

It was a nasty illness – a yeast infection complicated by a virus that affected my bowel – but it had nothing whatsoever to do with cancer! He also gave me emotional support when I really needed it – especially when he supported my decisions about treating breast cancer, and gave me a lot of useful advice.

If I hadn’t had this vital support, I may have given up on my treatment plan altogether. Luckily, that didn’t happen, but I can understand the pressures some people are under when they go against medical advice.

After my recovery from the infection, I gradually returned to a normal weight, and in December I went away to the Canary Islands for Christmas, where we had a fantastic time.

I came back feeling really well, and went for an appointment in London to have a thermograph. This is totally non-invasive and picks up changes in breast tissue long before mammograms can. My scan showed a slight difference in temperature between one breast and the other (less than one degree), and the consultant was very pleased with my progress.

My blood test in January was a lot better and the second tumour marker was now down to 13.7 – a lot better than the previous result of 21.00! Things were going really well.

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How My Health Regime Affected Me

Sue Insole — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:47:00 GMT

The new health regime I had introduced to beat my breast cancer had two particularly noticeable effects.

My reaction to B17

I was taking large doses of B17 in the form of up to 50 kernels a day plus two tablets twice a day. The nutritionist was surprised I could tolerate so many, and certainly I felt a bit nauseous from time to time, usually for about half an hour after eating breakfast.

I also had to drink several litres of water a day (and had to go to and from the loo a lot!) as my blood pressure used to drop suddenly during the day, and at times I felt quite light-headed.

As soon as the results of my blood tests improved, I gradually reduced my B17.

My blood pressure tends to be quite low anyway, so although B17 is known to reduce blood pressure, it might not affect everyone as much as it affected me.

Other illnesses gone!

Before starting my new diet, I used to suffer from back pain, acid indigestion and asthma. After a few months on the diet, I realised that I could get up in the morning without the initial pain and stiffness in my back and right leg.

What’s more, I was breathing more easily and didn’t suffer seasonal symptoms, despite the warm dry summer. I could also sleep at night without the acid indigestion I used to get.

These symptoms have not returned to this day.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

Why I Was Right to Refuse Surgery

Sue Insole — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:40:00 GMT

The results of the blood tests gave me even more conviction that surgery was the wrong route.

When doctors take a tumour away, they cannot take the cancer away completely as it is not a local disease but a symptom of a disease. If cancer is a rogue healing process, as many experts seem to think, taking healthy tissue away at the same time as some cancerous tissue will not cure it! All it will do is start off the healing process yet again: the immune system T cells flock to the operation site, along with cancer cells that are still in the blood.

Before she died, my sister in fact had three operations for her breast cancer. If they had “got it all” the first time around, then why did she need to go in for a second breast removal later, and then a removal of a tumour in her shoulder? Considering this along with the fact that she also had reconstruction surgery, it’s no wonder the cancer had spread throughout her body before she died.

I told my daughter of my diagnosis after I had seen the nutritionist, so I was able to give her encouraging news at the same time. She is a terrible worrier and I wanted to reassure her that I was going to be OK.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

My Cancer-Beating Diet

Sue Insole — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:38:00 GMT

The blood tests I was told to have every six months to monitor my progress measured two main things, or tumour markers:

1. The level of telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme that helps a cell to self-replicate. If an increased number of cells have active telomerase, it means that there is some destruction of transformed cells – the kind you would find in a cancerous tumour.
2. Pyruvate kinase level. Abnormal cells have an increased level of this enzyme in the blood. High levels are associated with the presence of a cancerous tumour with an increased risk of spread (metastasis potential). The normal reading in the blood should be 15 or below.

My first blood test showed the first tumour marker to have 1,500 cells per ul, and the second marker to have 21.00.

The doctos was encouraged by this result, and said the all important second tumour marker was just borderline abnormal (six points above the norm).

I was advised to continue with my new diet. By this time I had completely transformed my diet, incorporating these changes:

Vegetable juices three times a day
Increased levels of vitamins A, E and C
25 apricot kernels a day for vitamin B17
Two vitamin B17 tablets twice a day
Other supplements, including EPA and flaxseed oil
More oily fish
Limited meat
Plenty of fruit and vegetables
No sweet foods

The doctor had told me that I could drink a few glasses of red wine each day if I wanted – until this point, I had been completely abstaining from alcohol.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

What the Nutritionist Told Me

Sue Insole — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:40:00 GMT

In July 2004 I went to see a nutritionist who had once been a medical doctor. I had found her name on the Internet, and made an appointment to visit her practice in Bristol.

We talked about the possible treatments, and took a blood test. She asked me what my diet was like now, and I told her that I had started taking apricot kernels and eating more salads and fruit, and taking some supplements I had read about, like B6, Co-Enzyme Q10 and so on. She was extremely helpful, and made me feel very positive.

The blood test had to be sent away for analysis, and it cost £125, but to me it was money well spent. The nutritionist also gave me a list of supplements to take, and told me what foods to eat more of, and what to avoid. She also told me to take Vitamin B17 tablets as well as the kernels. When I left it was arranged that I would speak to her after the results of the blood test came through.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts. Next week, Sue describes the initial consequences of her dietary changes.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

My Decision

Sue Insole — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:50:00 GMT

Of all the advice I received at this time, I specifically remember something one lady said to me that really hit a nerve.

“They don’t know what they are messing about with,” she said. “They should sometimes just leave things alone, as all they do is spread it around more when they operate.”

I also read that mammograms can sometimes do more harm than good, and I remembered the sharp pain in my breast during the second X-ray I had, and the biopsy needle puncturing the skin straight afterwards while my poor breast was still throbbing. I wondered then whether it could have triggered something off that perhaps had been dormant up until then.

I started taking the apricot kernels anyway, and also started to improve my diet by eating more salads and fruit, and began to feel better in myself. I also read that what doctors call a “recovery” is just being alive five years later, no matter what state of health you're in.

Just a week away from the operation, we were walking around the city centre, trying to work up some positive feelings about it. We were on our way to buy some extras to go into hospital, as I had kept putting it off, when I suddenly turned to Peter and said, “I’m not going to go through with it.”

He looked at me and asked, “Are you sure?” When I said that I was, I could tell he was worried, but he could also see how determined I was. But then he just said, “Come on then – let’s go home.”

I telephoned the breast care clinic the following day and spoke to the nurse, telling her about my decision. She was sorry I felt like that, she said, but it was up to me what treatment I went for. She also told me to write to the consultant explaining that I wanted to cancel the operation indefinitely. She wished me good luck, and said I could always rearrange the operation if I changed my mind.

Once the letter was written and posted, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts. Next week, Sue explains what she learned from her nutritionist.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.

Cancer in the Family

Sue Insole — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:09:00 GMT

On the way back home from the clinic my husband and I were in turmoil, and all the time the whole implication of this was going through my head – but at the same time everything seemed so unreal. We ended up going for a drink and getting quite drunk, which helped at the time.

I decided that the next day I would phone up one of my sisters (I come from a large family) and tell her about the cancer: I felt I had to tell someone in my family. She was great, and very supportive, and once I’d spoken to her and another of my sisters about it, I felt much more positive.

My Mum is elderly (she’s 93), so I was dreading telling her, but I knew I had to do it sooner or later. In the end she took it quite well, but she was obviously very worried and upset. My daughter was on holiday, and luckily I didn’t have to face her yet as I knew she would be terribly worried and upset as well.

After the initial shock had worn off, I began to think a bit more positively, and we waited for the nurse to arrive in a few days. She was very nice and she went through the treatment options with me again. She showed me a picture of what the operation site would look like – it looked awful – and she also showed me some false breasts that I could wear with a special bra after the operation.

I had already decided that one operation site was enough to contend with, so I decided that I would not have reconstruction surgery.

I hadn’t put much thought into it up until then but at the back of my mind I vaguely remembered something I had read about an alternative treatment involving apricots, and apple seeds but couldn’t remember what. I decided to have a look on the Internet to see if I could find any more information about alternative treatments.

This post is part of a weekly series in which Sue Insole describes her health journey. Click here to read her earlier posts. Next week, Sue tells us how she began to learn about the alternatives to conventional cancer treatment.

Click here to get an email update when Sue writes her next post.