I’ve been on a roller coaster with my cancer-marker numbers since taking Ibrance (see last blog). At first it seemed to be addressing the cancer and the numbers went down. Then they went back up again, and then down again. The last two months my CA27.29 has gone up to an all-time high and a recent PET scan shows more progression. It’s again time to do something else.

The only new treatment my oncologist has to offer me is a newly approved medication that could increase my life by 4 months and has quality-of-life destroying side effects. That isn’t my choice.

In California it is illegal to treat cancer with anything other than surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. So other than continuing taking Ibrance, there is no useful treatment available to me.

Dr. Bricca, ND, had four suggestions for ways to strengthen my immune system and help the self-healing mechanism of my body kick in. I am doing them all. The only down side of them is the cost and the diligence required to get them all in on a daily basis in addition to the other supplements I am taking.

• • High-dose Melatonin. In an Italian study recently published they gave 1,000 mg of Melatonin a day to patients who had utilized all Big Pharma options and had Stage 4 metastatic cancer with no Western medical treatment available. 54% of them had their cancers stop progressing. It was a small study, but seems like something worth trying. My experience after 5 days of that high dose left me so tired I could hardly function. Dr. Bricca suggested I take whatever was tolerable for me. He said other doses hadn’t been studied and it was possible the same effect could be accomplished with less. I have settled in at 450 mg a day with enough energy to get through the day mostly awake.

• • Mushrooms. Many studies have been done studying the anti-cancer properties of mushrooms, and many companies sell them in various forms. At Dr. Bricca’s recommendation, I am consuming mushroom powders I ordered from Real Mushrooms. They may be the only company that uses only the fruiting body of the mushroom and excludes the mycelium that doesn’t have the same medicinal qualities. I am taking both Reishi and Turkey Tail, ½ tsp each two or three times a day. You can learn more about mushrooms and cancer in this podcast with Ralph Moss:
    https://www.themossreport.com/s4-e6-mushrooms-cancer/?lp_txn_id=559185

• • Phyto-Cyto. This is an herbal tincture formulated by Natura in Ashland, OR. It is made up of plants that are used in formulated chemo-therapy drugs, but it is a direct use of the plants for their anti-cancer therapeutic actions. Key ingredients are Pacific Yew, Madagascar Periwinkle, Camptotheca, Mistletoe, Paw Paw, and Poke Root. I’m not trying to push it, but if you want more information, you can learn more at: https://www.naturahealthproducts.com/phyto-cyto/

• • Mito-SAP. This is a concentrated mitochondrial support formula made by Nutritional Fundamentals for Health (NFH) in Canada. Again, not trying to push it, but you can find more information at: https://nfh.ca/product/mito-sap/

I haven’t had any testing done since starting on this regimen so I don’t know what the effects will be. I am still taking Ibrance since we don’t know if it is helping or not. The cancer progression could be worse if I stopped it. I often use my pendulum to guide me in such decisions and so far it has said to keep taking it. And it is supportive of all the new measures.