CLL Alternatives

CLL Bad Blood Test: Now What?

Posted by: Denise on: March 18, 2018

Reading time with Naomi and Moshe. Life is good!

A young woman in her mid-forties wrote me recently to say how sad and fearful she was because, despite her efforts, her white blood count and lymphocyte count went up. My answer to her was comprehensive, so I am sharing it now in this post.

Dear CLL Reader,

I truly understand about how you feel anxious, scared and nervous. I’ve been there, and honestly, some times I get nervous when I see a new bruise (could be low platelets) or if I look pale (anemia), and so on. However, I’m looking at your numbers, and I can tell you that although they did go up (in the wrong direction), you are still at a very safe place. I wonder if the doctor was alarmed…did he or she suggest that you come in again soon? Or that it looks like you will need treatment of some kind? I doubt it, although some doctors are too quick to prescribe treatment, in my opinion.

And…here’s the important part: at some point I learned that if my doctor wasn’t sounding alarm bells, then I just wasn’t going to get nervous either. What I also learned was to take a day (maybe two) to allow myself to be upset and depressed. Then it was time to do research and find ways to improve the blood test scores. So you’re on the right track by writing me. (Although by no means should I be your only source of answers.) Check each of your markers and do a Internet search. There are many examples below.

CLL WBC natural treatment.I just did this search and came up with this page: http://naturalhomeremedies.co/CLL.html. There are many others. Start searching for this in as many ways as you can come up with the right keywords. I have a friend who is a very conventional doctor.She explained to me that when doctors have no way to cure an illness (think of a cold virus here), they “aggressively treat the symptoms.” I’ve tried to apply this to the different blood markers that we test when we have CLL. You asked about your WBC and your absolute lymphocyte count and percentage. I see from what you wrote that you are eating organic and being careful of what you eat, even when traveling. That’s wonderful! Please keep it up!

The next question is: do you cook “low and slow”? This means at low temperature for a longer time, making certain never to burn or totally dry our your food. If you’ve been grilling or overcooking food, this is a place you can make an improvement.

Eat bone broth soup and fermented veggies. This is more advanced, as in not what people will start to do the moment they decide to take control. However, learning to make your own fermented vegetables provides probiotics that far exceed the numbers in those pills we buy online or in the health food stores! See this article: http://darwinian-medicine.com/ask-eirik-how-many-bacteria-are-there-in-sauerkraut/. And at least three alternative doctors/practitioners told me personally to have bone broth soup specifically for leukemia.  These are both healing foods. The Weston Price Foundation is all about both these foods. They have local chapters that teach classes on how to make your own sauerkraut and other veggies, and also how to make bone broth soup.

D’limonene and CLL. Are you eating citrus? I was doing very well eating whole oranges 5X/week. I had them in my smoothie. (Organic, of course.) (I’m not able to do that anymore for a non-CLL reason, but this is a very healthy thing to eat. The peel has d-limonene, which is specifically anti-leukemia.) So if you’re already having a smoothie, add that orange (or lemon or grapefruit or lime). Here is a study about that from a search on “Dlimonene Leukemia”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17169807

Vitamin D3 and CLL. What about vitamin D3? have you had it tested? Your level in a Vit D hydroxy test should be somewhere between 70 and 100, in order to battle cancer. I takek 9000 IU of vit D3 every day, and test my levels about 4X a year. (It’s a blood test.) I also take at least one vitamin K2 pill/day to balance out my vitamin D3!There are also studies that indicate that D3 helps people with CLL. Here is one from a “Vitamin D Leukemia” search: https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/leukemia/vitamin-d-deficiency-increased-risk-leukemia/article/463796/

Other ways to get well. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you avoiding toxins? Are you taking Peak Immune by Daiwa? (check out LuckyVitamins.com, for the best deal.) I have a comprehensive list of what to do in this article: http://www.cllalternatives.com/2017/11/cll-diagnosis-15-natural-things-to-do/.  Please read and re-read this. Getting well is a process. It’s good to revisit things you know you should do, that you haven’t gotten to yet.

Remember that the C in CLL is for Chronic. Generally, this is a slow-moving illness, giving us time to work on our wellness. An important part of getting well is to think of yourself as well, and to expect to be here for the long haul. Visualize yourself in your eighties. Think of what life will be like then. I know it’s really hard to conquer the fear, but there is joy and life on the other side!  I remember when I first became Macrobiotic in 2005. That is what helped me conquer the fear. At that time, my WBC had jumped into the 20s, so like you, I felt the end was near. It wasn’t! But early July, it will be 17 years and counting. If it’s like this for me, it can be like this for you, too. Hang in there, and allow yourself some happy thoughts. Do something fun and get away from it for a while, and then double down with one or two new things to add to your wellness plan.

Wishing you peace and the best of health!
– Denise

16 Responses to "CLL Bad Blood Test: Now What?"

Denise, thank you so much for all of this great information. I’m still working out how to eat. I had a macrobiotic diet in mind at first, but I’m struggling to stay with that. I’ll most likely have to modify it a bit so that I don’t feel deprived and starving!

Hi Denise,
I just had a full blood count done and my white cell count is 23 and my lymph 21. 2 months ago they were 18 and 14. during that time frame I have suffered a candida overgrowth and wonder if that would account for the big jump in counts. My platelets have dropped to 129 from 160 too. Bit worried about all this.

Hi Jennifer. Thanks for writing. I understand that you’re worried; who wouldn’t be, dealing with this? That said, take a look at the big picture. Yes, your WBC and lymph both went up, but when your numbers are this low, it’s easier to rise at a greater percentage (50% of 2 is 1 versus 50% of 200 is 100, if that makes sense). The point is, yes, your numbers went in the wrong direction, but not dangerously so. And a candida overgrowth certainly doesn’t help. Have you made changes in your diet to help with this? You should be off sugar (everyone with CLL should be off sugar!) and until you’re positively free of candida overgrowth, you should even avoid fruit. (I love fruit, and when you’re well, eating 80% -20% veg to fruit is just fine. But when battling candida, cut out fruit, honey, and any other sweeteners for a few weeks. It’s tough, but the time passes, and then you’re well!)

To also help, I would make a point of eating fermented food every day, possibly several times a day. Fermented food is a natural probiotic. If you’re not ready to make it yourself, buy it in the refrigerated section of your market or health food store. It should be tangy and delicious, and not at all a chore to eat. (I’m getting hungry describing it, lol.) If you also follow the general rules for getting well from CLL, you should see improvement in your numbers. This is in addition to the suggestions on this page. Also…a conventional doctor/friend of mine pointed out that every blood test is a snap shot of a moving item. In other words, you get an idea over time of how you’re doing. One bad blood test can be an aberration. Does this mean you shouldn’t make changes because of it? No! Start improving your diet and lifestyle ASAP.

However, give yourself a day to feel sorry for yourself (trust me, I’ve been there) then get to work researching positive changes, and get to work and make them happen. Chances are, over time, you will start to see improvement (or at least stability) in your blood tests.

Please write again and let me know how you’re doing.
Be well! – Denise

Hi Denise! This was truly a bad winter here. Even April was horrible. But, now it is warmer with much more sunshine.

Thank you so much for writing these articles and providing us a source to understand that we are not alone.

I visited the oncologist a couple of weeks ago and the blood work was a pleasant surprise. My feeling is that even he was surprised. He has asked me to go and see in about six months time.

Lymphocyte count was higher again but barely. I would say within the margin of error. What has stopped the advance? To be honest I really don’t know. I don’t take any conventional medication but I do take many…. many herbs.

Can I name anything that I think helped? I would say it would be a wild guess. It could be one thing, a combination of many things or could be none at all.

And, here here is my guess of might have helped:

AHCC
Increase in water intake
Chicken bone broth
walking
D3
Cooking @ lower temperature
Reduction in restaurant visits
Probiotics/Prebiotics
Reduction in eating bread and wheat in general
Increase in eating vegetable (though my main diet still is meat)
Quercitin
Mg (particularly magnesium oil spray)
Chlorella
Spirulina
Garlic
Turmeric
Shilajit
Saffron

Thanks for your help and support.

I have a question for you. Since I take many herbs and most of them are in the form of capsules I am a bit concerned about taking so many capsule shells everyday. I usually go for vegetarian shells yet the number is quite high. Should I be concerned?

Best of health.

Hi Vin,
I am so happy for you! It looks like all your hard work is paying off. And I feel the same way, too. Yes, I’m doing well, but what is the reason? I guess when we make a list of all the things we’re doing, and the question is what’s working, the answer is YES! (it’s ALL working.) For me, and it looks like for you, too, the answer is comprehensive. When you take the supplements, cook low and slow, de-stress, get sleep, etc., etc., you start to stabilize. And it’s wonderful!!! I hope other people are reading your post and learning that this method works! No, we’re not cured, but we are living, and living well! This healthy lifestyle helps us with all the other medical demons that can come our way (diabetes, cardiac issues, arthritis, and on and on). My husband, who not only follows the diet, but is my hero — in that he makes the fermented vegetables AND the bone broth soup — AND pesters me to eat all this regularly — also feels he’s headed off hereditary health problems. He’s actively working on avoiding Alzheimers, which took his mom in 2015.

Your list is NOT identical to mine, and that’s how it works. We all have to test out the supplements and the herbs, to see what works for us. (Even conventional doctors tell us that their treatments do not work the same for everyone!)

Now, to answer your question about the number of pills, and is it a hazard… I have concerns about this myself, and I’ve spoken to alternative practitioners about it. The consensus is this: take as many as you can in powder form, perhaps in your smoothie? Or in a gravy or soup? And for the rest, keep taking the pills, and occasionally (once or twice a year) get a BMP (basic metabolic panel) blood test. This measures your kidney and liver enzymes and lets you know if you have any problems. I keep passing this test with flying colors, and I’ve been taking a boatload of supplements (and herbs) since 2007. But as I said, we’re all different. So I would ask for the test now and then, just to be sure. If your doctor doesn’t comply, you can order your own tests through DirectLabs.com. They are affiliated with local blood draw labs. You order online and take your printed requisition slip in and get tested — and the results are also available on their web site. Great deal!

Again, it’s so good to hear from you, Vic. Please keep up your hard work, and write again and let me know how you’re doing! It truly gives me joy to know that this method is working for other people!!!

All best, Denise

Denise, Thanks again. You really are a beautiful person and I can feel your love.

You are right and I should have added relaxation to the list. Relaxation is essential. I did include walking and increased water intake but I should also have included meditation, fasting and breathing exercise.

My meditation is a hybrid Buddhist/Hindu practice. It is not religious in any sense but it is certainly what they call “dharma” based.

The breathing exercise I perform is again hybrid Shamanic/Prananyam (Hindu). Again, it has nothing to do with religion or a belief system.

The combined affect of meditation and breathing exercises is phenomenal. Yet I can’t say whether they are the reason or even a partial reason in arresting the advance of cll. The enjoyment I get from these two practices is beyond description. I have never found such ease (comfort? peace? enjoyment? relaxation?whatever the word is) in anything else I ever did.

I wish the BEST. Stay healthy and happy.

Kind regards.

Denise,
Also meant to ask, which brand of Vit D3 do you take? Does it also include vitamin K?

For the 5000 IU, I’ve been getting Healthy Origins. For the 2000 IU, I take NOW brand. They all work just fine. Make sure it’s vitamin D3 (not a synthetic). – Denise

How do you know it is real D3 or a synthetic Denise?

Hi Jennifer,
It’s my understanding that D3 IS natural. It’s D2, the one prescribed by doctors and given in unholy large doses (like 50,000 IU at a time) that are synthetic and risky. Here is a link to an article about this: https://www.approachwellness.com/natural-vitamin-d.html.
I hope this clears it up for you! All best, Denise

Denise,
Thanks for your response!
When increasing vitamin D3, would you suggest upping the amount gradually or all at once? I hope you’re enjoying your holiday too.
Mike

Hi Mike,
It’s always a good idea to up any supplement dosage gradually, maybe adding every 3 – 7 days till you get to where you want to be. I take 5000 IU with breakfast, and 2000 IU again at lunch and at dinner. I’ve scaled up and down many times, depending on my latest vit D hydroxy test.

Hi Denise,
As you’ve suggested, it’s important for each of us to advocate for ourselves. Due to my platelets dropping, per your suggestion I started drinking bone broth regularly and I also use a scoop of collagen powder (bulletproof brand) in my coffee everyday. My platelets went up 25 points over several months. At the time that they were lowering, my hemotologist suggested that if things continue in that direction we will need to talk about treatment. He never would’ve suggested bone broth. Just like he didn’t suggest a vitamin D test. I suggested it to him. Well, my level was 22 (not good). So, he said I should take 1,000 IU of D a day. I take 3,000. I saw that my neutrophil levels were low on my last 3 blood tests. Again, per your suggestion I just ordered Peak Immune by Daiwa. Don’t get me wrong, our doctors play an important part in our well being, but, we need to take responsibility for ourselves too. Hopefully there is a symbiotic relationship between the two. Thanks for all your great information and insight. Mike

Hi Mike,
Wow! Glad to hear that your platelets, vitamin D and neutrophil levels are going up…and through your own efforts!!! In a perfect world, doctors would recommend we try these healing remedies, but…it’s not a perfect world. Medical schools are hand in hand with the pharmaceutical companies, and anything that doesn’t fit in their paradigm (drugs, radiation, chemo) is simply not considered. Our doctors are great technicians and diagnosticians, and many of them truly care, but they are limited. They can tell us what we “have.” Beyond that, it is our own responsibility to do ALL we can at home, so that we don’t have to rely on their solutions. I’m so happy that you’ve been able to improve your markers!!! And thank you so much for posting. This will help others that will read this today, and for years to come. I hope you’re enjoying the holiday! – Denise

PS By the way, you can take as much as 10,000 IU of Vit D3, as long as you keep testing. The optimal level for those with cancer (or leukemia) is between 70 and 100. I take between 9000 and 10,000/day, depending on the season (less in sunny summertime) and also depending on my last vit D hydroxy test. When I get to 100, I drop to 8000 or 9000 for a while and test again the next time I have a blood test. I checked my Excel spreadsheet of markers, and I definitely started doing better when I upped my vit D3 in 2013.

Thank you so much for this !

You are welcome!!! Hope this helps! – Denise

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