This post is not recommending any specific supplements for DCIS, this post is documenting what I did to arrive at the decision on what supplements I should take. It is a journey that has taken me the past 17 months and it is a work in progress. There is not any one supplement that will kill cancer cells, you need to look at your own body and see what is lacking. Also, remember the word supplement means to supplement an already healthy diet, supplements are not a replacement of a healthy diet in any way. Once my tests come back at good levels I plan to go off all the supplements and eat food items that will offer the right nutrients in which I was previously deficient, I feel the supplements are good for right now and probably the quickest route to getting to acceptable levels.
Right after I was diagnosed with DCIS my friend who went to the Annie Appleseed Conference with me told me about testing done by a company called Spectracell. They have a nutritional test that reviews vitamins and minerals in your body to determine what you are lacking. Their website also has doctors in your area that will write a prescription for the test. I had that test done shortly after my diagnosis. Based on that test I added Methoylcobalamin (B12) - 5000 mcg which I was very deficient in due to being a vegetarian for 32 years. B12 helps to form and regenerate red blood cells, so it is vitally important to your body. There have been studies showing women with breast cancer have low B12. If you are a vegetarian reading this blog, please add B12 to your supplement list. The other supplement I was found to be marginally deficient in was chromium. Chrominium enhances the action of insulin, which is important for the metabolism and storage of carbohydrates, fat and protein within the body. I supplemented with Chrominium daily for 1 year, my level is now good and I have since added a good multivitamin to take care of this and other minerals that can easily be lacking. The multivitamin I take is Ortho Molecular Products Alpha Base without Iron.
Next my neighbor who is a clinical nutritionist suggested I do a hair test by Trace Elements. The test is called the Multi Element Assay of Hair. This test showed that my calcium was way too high, off the charts in fact. No surprise since I had been taking a calcium/magnesium drink for years. The problem was that I was not taking enough magnesium and I found out that magnesium is the mineral you really want to help your body excrete excess calcium. The supplement I was taking did not have enough magnesium and I had a major calcium build up. So I dropped the calcium and started taking Magnesium Citrate 400 mg twice a day. My calcium level is coming down. The hair test also found that I had very high copper. Did the copper come from growing up in a house with copper pipes?Possibly. To help my body excrete the copper I had to supplement with Molybdenum, I take 500 mcg daily. I also added Zinc 50 mg per day since it also helps your body excrete copper. My copper is also coming down.
The next test I did was the Essential Estrogens test by Geneva Laboratories. This test shows estrogen balance in women both post and pre menopausal. When I first took this test my 3 estrogens were out of whack. My Estradiol was so high it was off the chart. My Estrone was borderline low, my Estriol was very low. According to the test these values left me in a category with a high risk of breast cancer. I know the jury is out on whether or not hormones cause breast cancer, but my feeling is that it is better to have these in balance despite the breast cancer controversy. My neighbor the clinical nutritionist suggested I take Metagenic's Estrofactors twice a day and Trace Nutrient's Ultra Par twice a day. When I took the Essential Estrogens test again 8 months later my Estrone was at a good level, my Estriol was still a bit low and my Estrodial was still a bit high, but the test indicated I was out of the woods on the breast cancer risk scale.
I found a fantastic Integrative MD and she ordered an Iodine Front Loading test and found I was deficient in iodine, so she added Iodoral 25 mg twice a day.
The Integrative MD also had my vitamin D level tested and it was 28. This should be at 80 to 100, so she added Vitamin D 5000 IU daily. My vitamin D level was this low and I live in Florida, so no matter where you live have this tested. Many studies have shown low vitamin D has been linked to an increased cancer risk.
I had added on my own Curcumin 1000 mg with 5 mg of bioperine (black pepper to add absorption). I found curcumin had anti cancer properties.
My clinical nutritionist added Vitamin E 400 IU daily since vitamin E has been used to reduce cancer risk.
I had a consultation with a natural oncologist and he suggested I add Grape Seed Extract 400 mg per day, Beta Glucan 1000 mg per day and Acemannan which is an Aloe Vera extract. All three of these have immune boosting properties and boosting your immune system helps prevent cancer.
My Integrative MD then added Xymogen Oncoplex ES which contains Glucoraphanin (broccoli extract) 100 mg, which in trials has shown to reduce cancer growth. She also added Silymarin Forte (milk thistle) which in trials has been shown to improve liver function which can help detox the body. She added Xymogen Drainage, which is a liver detox also.
My Integrative MD also tested me for omega 3 levels which were low after being a vegetarian for 32 years. She added Ortho Molecular's Orthomega which contains 950mg of total Omega 3s.
So the final list is below
Metagenics Estrofactors - 2 per day
Maximized Curcuminoids 1000 mg with 5m bioperine (black pepper)
Magnesium Citrate 400 mg 2 times a day
Trace Nutrients Ultra-Par
Vitamin E 400 IU 1 per day
Molybdenum 500 mcg 1 per day
Grape Seed Extract 400 mg 1 per day
Ortho Molecular Products Alpha Base without Iron
Beta Glucan 1, 3D 1000 mg
Ace Aloe - Aloe Vera leaf
Zinc 50 mg
Vitamin D 5000 IU
Xymogen Oncoplex ES - Glucoraphanin 100 mg
Methoylcobalamin (B12) - 5000 mcg
Xymogen Drainage - for detoxification
Silymarin Forte - Milk Thistle 200 mcg
Iodoral 12.5 mg - 2 in the am 2 in the pm
Ortho Molecular Products Orthomega - 950 mg of total Omega 3s.
The list is not the important part of this post, it is the process of getting to the list that is important. I have no intention of taking this amount of supplements forever, I plan to make changes to my diet which will help rectify the deficiencies once I am at good levels. The only ones that I feel should be permanent are the Ortho Molecular Products Alpha Base without Iron or any great multivitamin and the B12 since I don't plan to add red meat back to my diet.
I hope this post helps you to find what you need for your body.
Below is how I keep track of the supplements, once a week I fill a morning and evening pill organizer. It saves me a lot of time and I don't forget anything!
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