On 7/27/2007
sandra13 wrote:
My dad had a whipple for pancreatic cancer in June. He
will begin chemo shortly. I was just wondering from all of you
out there, is there anything you found helpful in preparing the
body for the chemo.
I know weight gain for PC patients is a
plus. the drs. we have talked to have just said to have him
gain weight. I was just wondering if any of you out there found
certain foods or supplements to prepare the body for this upcoming
battle.
Thanks so much
Sandi
It
is difficult to respond accurately to this message because much is not
included....such as what chemo protocol is going to be used. If
this is the first chemo treatment protocol, it is likely to include
Gemzar (gemcitabine), either by itself or in combination with another
medication. Research demonstrates that starting genistein
(a soy isoflavone) approximately 4 to 7 days prior to initiation of the
gemcitabine will increase gemcitabine's cancer cell growth inhibiting
activity by almost 3-fold. Research used 656mg/day dosing.
The dose I would suggest is two 125mg capsules, 3 times a day.
The product may not be easy to locate but the company, Vital Nutrients,
makes a 125mg capsule. Genistein also is synergistic or
potentiates other chemotherapies as well, such as Tarceva, Erbitux and
platinum-based chemos. Another product, turmeric (aka curcumin), has
multiple anti-cancer effects and I would suggest taking 1500mg (3 x
500mg capsules) 3 times a day. This is available from Vital
Nutrients and other companies. Turmeric is poorly absorbed from
the digestive tract and therefore the product used should also contain
an absorption enhancer known as piperine which substantially improves
its bioavailablitity and effectiveness. Another product I would
consider incorporating as soon as possible is arabinoxylan compound
(PeakImmune4) which is an immune system enhancer. It enhances the
activity of the natural killer cells and macrophages that are
responsible for attacking and destroying abnormal cells. It may
also have some ability to increase levels of these immune system cells
as well. Sesame oil, taken internally and applied externally, has
a singificant stimulatory effect on platelet production in the body and
can help maintain platelet levels which often are significantly reduced
by various chemo agents. You can do online browser searches and
find the the research articles/abstracts that support and explain the
basis of many of these treatments. There are many other valuable
approaches worthy of consideration which I do not have time to address
here. I am in the process of developing a website/forum which
will, over time, provide ready-access to various treatement approaches
of this kind and will include links to supporting research. This
website is at http://www.yahoogroup.com/group/pc_care and one can
subscribe by sending a blank email to
pc_care-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Keep in mind, it is in the
early stages of development and will take some time to become a
comprehensive resource of complimentary treatment information.
Personal research of each suggestion is recommended. I would
highly recommend having gene and protein microarray analysis performed
on cancer biopsy tissue to identify patient-specific treatment data and
patient/cancer-cell-specific sensitivities. Best wishes, Kyle