Tag: chronic lymphocytic leukemia

CLL The Cure is in the Grocery Store

Farmer's Market for CLL
Shopping for a future pickle at our local Farmer’s Market.

Last night my husband and I had what we call “fast food” for dinner. Don’t raise your eyebrows; it’s not what you think. I tend to cook an elaborate dinner, in quantity suitable for leftovers, about three times a week. After that, we either eat leftovers combined with freshly steamed vegetables or a raw salad, or we make “fast food.” In this case, it was slow-fried eggs, corn on the cob, and steamed brussels sprouts.

Why is this fast? Dinner took considerably less than a half hour, and it was delicious! Before I get into recipes or cooking techniques (like what is “slow-fried”?) I need to make another point. Success in the kitchen, as measured by truly healthy and nutritious meals and snacks that taste good, require more than kitchen skills. They require shopping!

Shopping Time!

Yes, if you want to beat this CLL thing, and you want to do it naturally, you have to spend some time in the supermarket and, if available, your local farmer’s market. This is another case of failing to plan is planning to fail. You have to shop the stores in your neighborhood until you find the best places for abundant organic fruit and vegetables. Yes, I do eat eggs, chicken, fish, and sometimes even beef, but I still eat a plant-based diet. The animal protein is more of a side dish.

Times have changed.

It wasn’t long ago that I had to go to health food stores for a fairly limited and often dried-out selection of fresh veggies. Today, even the corporate behemoths (like Kroger, here in SE Michigan) have an impressively well-stocked organic produce section. My personal choices these days are Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and the local Royal Oak farmer’s market. They all have their good and bad points. We (hubby and I) often go to two markets in one evening for a quick, targeted shopping trip. We know each store’s layout and can get in and out quickly. Even with these quick  trips, keep in mind that you will likely have to do this at least twice a week. Some vegetables keep only so long, and if you’re doing it right you’ll find that your refrigerator has an ever-dwindling selection of fresh produce

Another time saver is stopping in on the way home. Hubby does this more than me, especially in the summer, as I take my dog, Tina, to work, and I don’t like to leave her in the car unless it’s cold outside. (It’s cold outside today now…sigh.)

Another side note: sometimes your organic produce choice won’t look so good. Sometimes conventional might be a better choice, in which case please soak in 50-50 white vinegar and water to cleanse as much pesticide residue as possible. Another choice to shop more than one market. If the selection at the first isn’t so good, you still have one more chance to get your organics.

And where do I buy all my animal protein?

This is not an answer set in stone. We still buy eggs from our local farmer’s market. They are consistently better than the organic eggs at any supermarket. The yokes are orange rather than yellow, and they are delicious! In the past my meat sources have been Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, farmer’s market, other specialty stores. You have to continually be aware and look for the best places. Your local Weston A Price chapter can help you source local good foods.

The point is to BE PREPARED.

Shop ahead and get the best organic veggies and fruits in season. You can rinse and freeze the fruit. Store the leafy greens and other veggies in a loosely closed plastic bag so that some air can get in. This works for me, and it’s fairly simple. Simple is good. The more complicated you make your food gathering, the more of a task it will seem.

Of course, it’s not all about veggies and fruit. Also keep stocked with organic pastured free-range chicken and grass-fed pastured beef, wild caught white fish and salmon, and pastured free-range eggs. An extra freezer is wonderful, if you can afford it. Beyond that are the seasonings and sauces. I’m honestly not the most skilled cook, but I do keep tapioca starch (flour) on hand for mixing with water and seasonings and pouring over a stir fry when almost done. It turns into a delightful gravy reminiscent of a Chinese food dish.

Also keep organic, extra-virgin olive oil in the cupboard, along with apple cider vinegar, other vinegars (I love Eden-brand umi-plum…yum!) and balsamic vinegar as well. (all organic, please) A supply of fresh lemon is great  to add to dressings and sauces, and also to squeeze into a morning glass of water for your alkalinity and digestion.

Coming soon to a blog near you!

In another post soon, I will write about some of my favorite cooking techniques. Not only should your vegetables be organic and fresh, and your animal protein free-range, organic and pastured, but nothing should be over cooked at temperatures above 300-degrees Fahrenheit.  This is a challenge I’ve managed to overcome by checking out advice on Google and youtube, and by experimenting on my own. I am happy to share and will do so soon.

In the meantime, get out to your local market and start checking out the best sources and prices. You’re in this for the long haul. As environmental doctor Sherry Rogers wrote, “The Cure is in the Kitchen.” I would add, in order for that to happen you have to get to your grocery store first!

Happy shopping! – Denise

PS A good cancer cookbook is The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. There is an earlier addition at a greatly reduced cost on Amazon.

 

CLL and Intermittent Fasting

Denise and two of “her boys.”

Intermittent fasting has become quite the craze. Google it and you will see countless pages, including many youtube.com videos touting its safety and effectiveness. I agree…to a point. It turns out I’ve been intermittent fasting for years – but didn’t realize it. Does that sound crazy? Let me explain.

Before I started a truly healthy non-SAD (standard American diet), I would be ravenous for breakfast. I remember standing in the shower with true stomach PAIN gripping my being. I would speed dress and run to the kitchen for relief. Yes, relief. I wasn’t just hungry; I was crazy hungry. I believe the reason was sugar, and probably gluten. My standard breakfast at the time was a bowl or two of cereal, sometimes topped with bananas. At the time, I thought it was a pretty darn healthy diet.

Cut out the sugar and enjoy your morning calm. It wasn’t until I read Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillin and started cutting out most processed foods that I felt a difference. This difference became even more pronounced when I went on the Macrobiotic diet as taught by the now-defunct Kushi Institute in Becket, Massachusetts. At the Institute, they had morning exercises prior to breakfast. Before my Quillin-inspired diet, and the fare I was eating at the Institute, there was no way I could have made it through exercise class. I would have hopped in my car in a mad search for a restaurant or a supermarket. But I felt the change. Waiting was no problem, and neither were the gentle stretches and exercise. I’d already begun my Intermittent fasting; I just had no idea that was what I was doing. This was 2005.

I’m already intermittent fasting! In fact, it wasn’t until I recently (this is September 2018) listened to a Nasha Winters youtube.com video that I realized I’m an Intermittent faster! Dr. Winters said that fasting for a mere thirteen hours was enough to prevent breast cancer. Thirteen hours! I generally fast for fifteen! I will explain.

The hours of fasting include sleep. For me, this is about seven hours on a good night. The rule is to not recline or go to bed for at least three hours after eating. No problem. I’m usually done eating by 7:00 pm, and rarely make it to bed by 10:00 pm (even though that’s my target bedtime). Even if I set the clock for 6:00 am, which I generally do, I’m rarely out of the house till 9:00 or 9:30 am, and I let myself have my morning smoothie at 10:00 am or later, when I’m at my desk, ready to work. (I often have some sauerkraut or pickles at about 8:00 am, and a cup of bone broth soup at around 9:00 am. According to the experts, these “treats” don’t count. If you haven’t had sugar or carbs, you are still in IF.) The last time I checked, 7:00 pm till 10:00 am is fifteen hours. And I often go longer than that. Without any struggling.

Is this the reason for my continued good health? The point is that I’m doing well, or at least well enough. I’m seventeen years into this CLL gig, and my numbers are similar to what they were at diagnosis. (Please note: I still most definitely would be diagnosed with CLL if I went to any doctor for the first time. I’m NOT cured, but I certainly am a well and healthy human being!)  The short answer to this question is: yes, but. Yes, it is part of why I’m doing well, but it is most certainly not the only reason. There are also the large issues of diet, supplementation, exercise, sleep, clean water and air, and the general avoidance of toxins.

So how does IF work? Yes, this is an important question. Our bodies are complex and busy machines. We all know that we heal best overnight. When we’ve suffered a cut or minor injury, we often find it at least partially healed in the morning. When we have the flu or other minor illness, there is nothing quite like a good night’s sleep to help us recover. Our bodies are designed to heal. When we are at rest, our internal machinery is busy at work, our immune systems on high alert, clearing out the toxins we’ve come across, kicking out the pathogens (germs), rebuilding damaged tissue, and so on. While it’s not a cure for CLL, it is certainly one of your major pillars of health. It’s a wonderful system, but there is a hitch.

If we’re loaded up with food, the body must divert its energy and attention to plain old garden variety digestion. What a waste of energy and time! This is why it’s vital to stop eating a good three hours or more before bedtime. Your digestive system will have had plenty of time to work on its latest load of nutrients, giving the immune and reparative systems what they need to help heal your body. It’s a beautiful system. Don’t muck it up with late-night snacks.  Water or herbal tea is fine. Stay away from caffeine; your body doesn’t do this repair function nearly as well when you are awake.

Intermittent Fasting Side Effects. It’s all good. IF can improve your heart health, suppress inflammation, fight free radical damage, and more. In general, it’s just plain good for your overall health. While many use this method of eating to lose weight, that has not been my experience. Read more about IF in this article by Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Check out your eating schedule. If you’re already cut out the sugar and glutens, chances are you’re not starved all the time, and eating day and night. You might already be intermittent fasting. It might be that you’re close, but still eating a late-night snack. It’s hard to make those changes. But now that you know about the mechanism of self-repair and healing, perhaps you’ll find it worth your while to try.

[Please note: my husband (who I adore) pushes himself and pushes me to be my best. He nagged me (sorry, but that’s the most accurate word) to keep my hours between 5:00 or 6:00 pm at the latest and 11:00 am or 12:00 noon at the earliest. When I tried to meet this eating schedule I developed stomach issues. To be specific, stomach pain while sleeping that kept me up many nights. It turned out, on self-reflection, that I was rushing through dinner to get enough ‘fasting’ hours in. And I was famished by 11:30 am and didn’t eat slowly or mindfully.  In other words, I was stuffing my face, quickly, all during my ‘feasting’ hours, and it was hurting my health.]

Pay attention to your body. Maybe thirteen hours is your limit. Maybe twelve. The important thing is to go to bed on an empty stomach, and then to delay breakfast for as long as reasonably comfortable.

 

PS: If you wonder why I always post photos of my grandchildren…it’s because when first diagnosed I really didn’t believe I’d live to see weddings, let alone grandchildren. It’s a joy in my life and I’m grateful for my extra years. I wish them for you as well!

 

New CLL Alternatives Video

I made a series of videos with Teresa, a CLL buddy I met through this site — and who was visiting the state for her son’s graduation. This is the first of what will be many videos from this meeting. I hope you get some good information from it.  It took me some time to figure out the iMovie software. It turns out that it’s easiest to edit and create the video on my iphone — and also to upload it to youtube the same way. Another (funny) fact…the best how-to videos about how to make DIY movies are on youtube and made by kids! 

Out of the Closet: When to Tell Friends and Family about a CLL Diagnosis

For whatever reason, when I was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia by my original hematologist, he advised that I keep the news to myself.

“It’s stage zero. You have no symptoms; you look healthy. So there’s really no reason to tell everyone you know—unless you want to.”

Unless you want to.

I had no idea what I wanted. I honestly didn’t even believe I really had CLL until my follow-up visit. I was totally expecting them to test my blood and apologize for their mistake. And I knew what I would say to that. “Thank you! God bless you! No harm, no foul.” And most of all… “Good bye!”

Of course, that didn’t happen.

But back to the issue of what and when to tell people. Now that it’s been sixteen years, as of this writing, I’ve learned that most people tell everyone everything. From day one.

But not me. I told my immediate family and one special friend and her husband. I could tell by her husband’s response that he felt like he was talking to a doomed woman. At that moment I knew what I wanted, and that’s what I did for nearly fifteen years.

I told no one.

I felt safe in my anonymity. I told myself I would share my story when I started chemo. At the time, I was positive chemo was inevitable. In 2001 if you look up “CLL” or “chronic lymphocytic leukemia” on Google, the news was not good. It was all about the Rai or Binet stages. And while I was low on both, all the attending information was not encouraging. Even the brochure from the hematologist was a colossal downer. The last section was about end-of-life decisions. How’s that for encouragement?

I didn’t want everyone to think of me as a dead woman, so I kept my mouth shut and swore my family to secrecy. I kept it that way for a long, long time. For years, actually.

It wasn’t until November 2011 that I started CLL Alternatives.com at the urging of my husband. He said it was time to share my story with other people. I wasn’t keen on that idea because I wasn’t ‘cured’ yet and, at the time, that was my personal benchmark. I wanted to be cancer free.

The reason for this benchmark: I’d been reading a site by a man with CLL who was trying just about every alternative under the sun, including artemisinin. Unfortunately, his final entry was a farewell post. His CLL was fatal, his body was riddled with cancer, and he didn’t have anything to add to his site. I was horrified. For him. For myself. I didn’t want to start a site to do that to others.

But still…by 2011 I was already ten years into this thing and it appeared I wasn’t about to sign off just yet. Not only that, I’d been actively researching and trying out alternatives and changing my lifestyle—and seeing results! So I felt I did, in fact, have something to share. So I started my web site, bringing me out of the closet, albeit anonymously. And ironically.

But slowly, some time around 2013, I started telling friends, one at a time. At first it made me uneasy, as if telling my tale would somehow make it more real. And lethal. But things had changed since 2001. A lot of people I knew were living with cancer. It wasn’t quite the sudden and immediate death sentence it had been.

So I told more friends, one by one, especially and always those who had or were close to someone who had a diagnosis. At this point, it couldn’t make the diagnosis any more real than it already was. And it certainly didn’t make the course of the disease any worse. In fact, by 2013, my WBC (white blood count) started to drop as a result of starting a raw food/low temperature-cooked food diet.

At the time of this writing, after sixteen years of living with a CLL diagnosis, I believe I’m out of the closet. I’m Denise and I have a CLL Diagnosis. Here is an important point: because of Hessel Baartse’s web site and story, I’ve learned to refuse to say that I “have CLL.” No. Instead I say I have a “CLL diagnosis.” This separates me from the illness, and I enjoy every degree of separation!

So what should you do if you are newly diagnosed? To tell or not to tell? My answer: it’s entirely up to you. I’d go with whatever feels right. For me, I needed the cushion of years—and wellness—before I could share my story with my in-person friends. I’m so glad my husband encouraged me to start CLLAlternatives.com because I’ve made so many friends, and so many valuable connections. And if I’ve helped a lot of people along the way, well, that’s kind of the point.

Alive and Well with CLL — 14.5 years now and counting…

Me and Peter with brand new grandson.
Me and Peter with brand new grandson.

I’ve been so busy with my life lately, that I’ve neglected posting here on my CLL web site. The good news is that I’m doing well! My numbers have been improving. I’m stable, and therefore have been able to concentrate on other things in my life: like my work and my grandkids. (Jared, pictured at left, is our fourth grandchild. When diagnosed in 2001, I didn’t know that I’d be blessed to live long enough to see our sons marry and have children.) However, sharing my CLL experience is so important to me. I’m doing well and it’s not by accident. It’s not “spontaneous,” even though that is how a conventional doctor might describe my condition. It might not be “spontaneous remission,” but instead “spontaneous improvement.”

There is so much I’ve done, and so many changes I’ve made, that it will take many, many posts to share everything there is that you can do to try and improve your health. I believe that a lot of what I’m doing would benefit anyone with any kind of cancer—not just blood cancers, and certainly not just CLL.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all breakthrough. Not in the conventional medical world. And not in the alternative world. However, (this is a BIG however), the alternatives don’t hurt you. They may be more difficult and require more effort and commitment, but they will cause no harm.

Here is a quick laundry list of my changes:

1. I never eat burnt food or any food cooked at too high a temperature.

2. I stick mainly to organic food, whenever possible.

3. I eat out once or twice a week, tops. This means I take my lunch to work. (I don’t consider this a hardship anymore, but a pleasure.)

3. I ferment my own vegetables, and eat them at each meal, at least a little bit.

4. I drink filtered water and organic herbal tea (specifically raspberry leaf tea, as it doesn’t leach iron and I tend to be anemic).

5. I have a whole orange about 5X/week in my smoothie. By “whole,” I mean the peel and the pith (the white part). The pith contains d-limonene, which is anti-leukemic.

6. I drink a cup of home-made bone-broth soup nearly every day. Several sources have recommended bone broth for leukemia and other blood cancers and disorders.

7. I exercise 5X/week for 15 minutes. On an elliptical, a rebounder (trampoline) and with weights. I’m not an athlete, but still pretty fit for a 60-year old.

8. I get sleep at night!!! It feels wonderful. I shoot for going to bed at 10, and get into bed by 1030 or 11 each night. Since taking a new pill (for my hair, prescribed by an alternative doctor), I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Okay, I’ll amend that: I sleep like a baby without colic. : )

There is probably more, but I’m writing at the top of my head right now. Each of these eight items could be it’s own blog post. And I’ve been asked by my CLL-buddies who write to me to please post some recipes. And I will. I promise. It all takes time and I’m delighted to say that I have a busy (and pretty healthy!) life. But this matters to me. YOU matter to me. So I promise I will get on with it and keep posting.

If you’d like to be one of my CLL-buddies, please write me at cllalternatives @ gmail.com (with no spaces — those are for the mail-bots). And please feel free to post on this article and on this site, because the more we share, the more we help even more of us struggling with CLL.

CLL Green Tea and Neem

It’s been a long time since I last posted.  There have been a lot of bumps on the road, and I haven’t felt much like it.  I’m still dealing with those bumps, that came in the form first of dangerously low neutrophils, (they’re still low, but not “dangerously”) and now, at my last visit, my WBC happily dropped 13.6 points to 34.2 (yay), but so did my RBC (3.3 to 2.88 – boo) and my HGB  went from a healthy 12.3 to a very concerning 10.4.  Yikes.  That’s been the way it’s been for me.  The white and red counts always go in the same direction — and they’re supposed to go in opposites.  Oh well.

Good News In CLL Land
That said, there is still good news out in CLL land and I haven’t been reporting on it.  First, I’ve found another person who’s doing well with Green Tea and Neem.  Here is a link to his testimony. I’ve been trying to contact him directly, as is my custom, and so far, no luck.  But isn’t his information exciting?  For those of you who prefer not to click, (I LOVE clicking myself), here is his info:

QUOTE: “I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) seven years ago. Even though I was still in the watch and wait stage, I was getting more and more infections requiring frequent doctors visits and even hospitalizations. My off-the-scale blood abnormalities confirmed that I was circling the drain.

But now my whole world has changed. I feel good again. No more infections. I have been free of all symptoms for many months now and I am no longer skeptical about the changes. At Roswell Park Cancer Institute they told me that my that last few blood tests were “perfect”.

I am not doing anything weird or taking anything that is not already being investigated by major cancer centers with promising results for treating CLL. All I am doing is taking higher doses of herbs than what one would normally take. While Green Tea is supposed to kill cancer cells in a test tube I had no illusions that simply drinking a few cups green tea would be enough to stop my downward spiral.

I read about the research at the Mayo Clinic and other places that show promising results with higher doses of ECGC (Green Tea Extract). However, medical research normally takes many years and with herbs even longer. I decided that I could not wait that long and started my own treatment based on reports from these various research efforts. This is what I have been taking per day:

Neem Leaf – 400mg Capsules: 4 capsules – three times a day

EGCG – 500 mg Capsules: 3 capsules in the morning on an empty stomach – it is best absorbed in a fasting condition (w/o Vitamin C)

2 capsules with 1000mg Vitamin C during day

2 capsules with 1000mg Vitamin C at bed time.

During the day I also drink 3 to 4 large cups of green tea using two tea bags and adding 200 mg of Vitamin C per cup.

The Vitamin C changes the stomach acidity which helps to absorb the green tea. I buy Vitamin C tablets and crush them in a pill crusher before dissolving them in hot water or green tea. (PharmAssure brand Vitamin C seems to have the fewest additives which may neutralize the acidity.) I buy the EGCG and the Neem Leaf Capsules in larger quantities over the internet. It comes to about $2.50 per day.

It’s been long enough now and I am no longer skeptical that my newly found good health is just a fluke. Other than taking all these supplements, my life is back to normal. I am a 70 year old male and I started running two miles a day. I am also taking normal doses of other vitamins and I don’t drink or smoke. I am not a doctor or a scientist. I am only giving a testimonial about my self-prescribed treatment and my personal results. Compared to chemo it has been a cake-walk. However, we are all different and everybody should go very slow with upping to these dosages and should always check with their doctor before taking anything new. ”

Posted on DailyStrength.org 08/26/11, 12:31 pm (go to link above to go to that web site) UNQUOTE
Reading his post caused me to look up new items — both Neem and Carnivora.  And I didn’t even tell you about what I’ve done since March — both Chinese Herbs and UVBI (ultraviolet blood irradiation).  But these all deserve a different post on a different day.  One thing that I’m convinced of, is despite the difficulties with the FDA, which seems intent on stopping anything helpful AND harmless, there always appears to be more out there that can help us get well from CLL!  As always, do research on your own, and try these pills carefully.  I already gave myself a twenty-four hour belly ache from downing too many green tea pills to start.  Now I have to start all over.  So read, review, and proceed with caution.

 

 

 

Apricot Seeds and CLL Leukemia

Apricot Seeds
My shrink-wrapped apricot seeds, coffee grinder and the pills I made from them.

Like Wayne, an Oklahoman I met via the Internet, I have have both CLL leukemia AND diverticulosis.  I’ve never been officially diagnosed with diverticulosis, but every time I eat nuts or seeds whole, I suffer.  Sometimes for days.

It’s not the chemical composition of the nuts and seeds.  I know this because when I grind them into dust (flaxseeds) or buy them already ground into paste (almond butter) I can eat them with wild abandon — and no after effects.

Part of my good health program started in 2007 when I started taking amygdalin pills from Mexico, along with enzymes and other supplements.  I was advised to also eat the apricot seeds — in addition to the pills.  I tried this twice early on in 2007 and 2008.  Both times I suffered severe stomach upset.  For days.

But after speaking to Wayne in Oklahoma for the third time, my husband encouraged me to buy a pill making device and grind my own apricot seeds in our coffee grinder (Mr Coffee brand, available everywhere).  I’ve been doing this for just a few months.  My last doctor visit showed  a marked improvement in my WBC (from 32 down to 23… yay!)  But those numbers do tend to bounce around.  I will report back after my next visit.

The general way to take amygdalin, B-17, laetrile (all pretty much the same thing) is: if you have cancer of any kind, it is generally recommended to work your way up to three 500mg tablets/day, one at each meal — in addition to eating the apricot seeds.  Once again, it is recommended to take one seed for every ten pounds of weight, each day.  I personally grind my seeds and then put them into capsules with the help of a pillmaker I found online, but many people are able to eat the seeds whole. (The taste of the seeds is not great — another incentive to grind and make into pills!)

Please note that I am not a doctor — and that I am giving information about what works for me, personally. If this intrigues you, first go to WorldWithoutCancer.uk.org and learn all you can about it.   I wholly recommend that you research and try things for yourself — carefully and safely.  Not to mention seeking out the advice of a health care practitioner who is familiar with vitamin B17.  I found my doctor on cancure.org.  He isn’t local — but I think it was well worth the trip!

CLL Alternative Protocol

Here is the list of what I take and what I do, at this time in my life (it has changed many times) to be well and get well.  My goal is, and had been, since July 2005, to become cancer-free.  Others have done it and so can I.  (By implication, you can too!) There is no one path.  Unfortunately, we all have to find our own formula.  While that sounds daunting, to me it’s a heck of a lot better than counting on one professional who will give you fifteen minutes of his or her time, each visit.  You can give yourself as much time as you need!  Be your own health care advocate, and you can spend an hour or more EVERY DAY on yourself.  There isn’t a doctor alive — conventional or alternative — who can do that for you.  You can only do that for yourself.

Between Meals
(before breakfast, mid-afternoon, before bed)

  • Univase Forte enzymes, 6 total,  2 pills/3X a day
  • Apricot Seed pills (grind and make myself) 4 pills, 3X/day btw. meals
  • Natural Thyroid 60mg, 1X, 1/2hour prior to breakfast
  • Wheatgrass Juice (I grow and juice my own) 4-5 ounces, every morning 1/2 hour before breakfast
  • Low Dose Naltrexone 4.5mg, before bedtime

Breakfast

 

  • Actifolate 800 mcg
  • Magnesium 200mg
  • B Complex 1 pill
  • Black Currant Seed Oil 1000mg total – 2softgel
  • B-17 Laetrile 500mg
  • Vit C 1000mg
  • Bioflavinoid 1000 mg
  • Vit E 200 IU softgel
  • D3 1000 IU softgel
  • CoQ10 50 mg ubiquinol (not ubiquinone)
  • Primrose Oil 1300 mg softgel
  • Calcium 250 mg
  • Probiotic 1 gram 20 bill organisms, 12 strains
  • Broccoprotect 1
  • Regenemax (5mg silicon) 1
  • Reduced Glutathione 300 mg
  • Iron Pill (Iron Glycinate) 29mg, 4X/WEEK (every other day)

Lunch

  • Vit D3 1600 to 2000 IU dry (Twinlabs Allergy D)
  • Potassium 99mg
  • CoQ10 50 mg unbiquinol (not ubiquinone)
  • Zinc Asporotate 15mg
  • Iodoral 25mg
  • B-17 Laetrile 500mg
  • Selenium 200 mcg
  • Grapeseed Extract (every day @ lunch, one month on, one month off)

 

Dinner

 

  • Magnesium 200 mg
  • B-17 Laetrile 500 mg
  • Fish Oil 1000 mg (Omega 3,5,6,7,9)
  • Curcumin 665mg
  • CoQ10 50mg unbiquinol (not ubiquinone)
  • Vit D3 1000 IU softgel
  • Primrose Oil 1300 mg
  • Calcium 250 mg
  • Joint Ease (glucosamine 250mg, chondroitin 250mg, queritin 250mg, taurine 250mg)
  • Vit K2 100 mcg (bone health)

 

Immune-Boosting Butter
1tablespoon/day (more if I want an extra immune boost)
Recipe:

  • 1 stick room temp organic butter
  • 1/2 cup organic cold-pressed virgin olive oil
  • 10 capsules probiotic
  • 10 capsules colostrum
  • 6 capsules l glutamine
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey (local)

Empty capsules into a bowl.  Add olive oil, butter and honey.  Blend with immersion blender (that’s what I use).  Cover and refrigerate.

D’Mannose
I use this, as needed for UTIs (urinary tract infections).  This has been, quite possibly, a life saver.  While I still carry a prescription for antibiotic in my wallet, I rarely, if ever, use it.  This deserves a page of its own.

Diet

  • NO sugar
  • NO gluten
  • NO white bread
  • NO refined salt
  • NO processed foods
  • NO store-bought baked goods
  • NO nuts or seeds (unless powder-fine or smooth paste

What I DO eat:

  • YES Organic greens
  • YES Organic vegetables
  • YES Organic fruit (small amount/day)
  • YES Organic grass fed beef
  • YES Organic poultry
  • YES Organic free-range eggs
  • YES Wild-caught salmon and other fish
  • YES Organic olive oils and other oils
  • YES Sprouted lentils, grains
  • YES Almond butter
  • YES Rice Cakes
  • YES Oatmeal
  • YES Organic butter
  • YES Raw milk yogurt
  • YES Greens/Fruit Juice in my Vitamix

It IS hard to eat out, but I manage.  I mostly try to limit eating out of the home to two times a week (total, includes lunch AND dinner).

Exercise
I walk my dogs every day. I exercise for 15 minutes 3X/week on our elliptical trainer.  I lift weights 3X/week for my osteoporosis and heart health.  I can now run up a flight or two of steps without getting overly winded.  Couldn’t do that 10 years ago.  It pays to exercise!

Sleep
My goal is to be in bed by 10pm, and to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.  I feel wonderful when I achieve this goal.  I’ve read again and again that the sleep before midnight is the best healing sleep. It makes sense.  Try this.  It is one of the best things you can do for your immune system and your health.  It’s free -  and you can feel the results literally overnight.

Mindset
Don’t worry.  Be happy. I know they have studies to prove it, but who need studies?  We all know we feel like crap when we stress out and worry.  Racing pulse.  Palpitations.  Bile in mouth.  How good can that be for you?  The experts tell us to meditate.  I’ve tried it, and it always feels weird to me.  I prefer writing in my journal or reading something relaxing.  Either one gets me away from myself, and helps me to relax and stop stressing.

That’s it for now.  I think that you can see that it takes a lot of time, effort, not to mention cash, to take care of yourself.  Whatever I’m doing is infinitely less expensive than chemo treatments.  None of it has side effects.  And I feel great.  Please write with any questions.

Due to an unreasonable amount of SPAM, I suggest that you email me at info(at)cllalternatives.com if you can’t seem to get a comment posted.

Getting Well from CLL Leukemia

CLL Success Stories. There are two success stories, so far, both men, who have overcome their CLL Leukemia and either achieved remission  — or became cancer free! — without conventional treatment.  We can think of this as a miracle (which it is) or a sign of possibility and hope (which it is too!).

I was first elated to hear the news that these people exist — and then a bit deflated when their methods did not work for me.  I tried all or parts of each of their personal protocols, but to my severe frustration, it hasn’t yet resulted in my remission.  That said, I haven’t given up.  There is still a message of hope and possibility.

The first CLL Leukemia success story I found was Steve Freier.  You can read his whole story by clicking on his name and going to his site.  After a short-lived unsuccessful conventional treatment, Steve tried several protocols and eventually reached remission after removing his root canals and taking coral calcium.

The second CLL Leukemia success story is Hessel Baartse.  Once again, click on his name and read his miraculous story.  Hessel reached health with the help of a dentist (he also had his root canals — and mercury fillings — removed), as well as a detailed diet and supplement regimen.  All his CLL markers are in the normal range, and he is living his life in Australia with his wife and family.  If you read his site, you will see that Hessel credits his faith in God and his belief in his own good health.

CLL and Root Canals. What they both obviously have in common is that they removed their root canals.  I will be writing another article about this, as I, too, have had that surgery done to improve my health.  I’ve also followed both their regimens, plus much, much more.  I may not be cancer-free, but I am healthy and well — after 9.5 years (now, at the time of the update of this post, it’s been 14 years!), with no conventional intervention.

It can be done!  What we can learn from Steve and Hessel is that it can be done!  We can all get well.  We just have to find our own way, our own combination of diet, exercise, herbs, supplements, and even drugs.  There is no set standard of therapy, even amongst conventional doctors.  Humans are NOT one size fits all — in clothing or in medical treatment.

So please read this site, as I add more and more information.  Check out the links.  Do some research of your own.  Keep a positive attitude (easier said than done, but do-able) and you will prevail!  If you have good news and/or information please write and share it with this site.

 

CLL Leukemia Longevity and Vitamin D

Vitamin D
Vitamin D

I’ve been taking vitamin D for several years now for my CLL.  But it wasn’t until very recently that it has gained “official” acceptance in the medical world as an important supplement for all those with cancer and specially for those with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  Here is one article and another on this very topic.

My experience. I would like to share my own experience with this wonderful supplement.  It is one of the few that I’ve taken that I can rave about.  I felt a difference when i first started taking vitamin D3.  Take a look at the bottle on this page.  This was the brand that first made a difference.  My alternative doc told me to take it because I tested low (19!).  Prior to taking it, I believe I took about 1600 IU (international units) a day.  Now, at doctor’s advice, I’m taking 4000 units a day.  I obediently added this to my regimen without a clue of how it would affect my health.

Vitamin D for pain.  Prior to taking vitamin D3, I really thought I had undiagnosed fibromyalgia.  I was always in pain.  Something always hurt.  My arm, my neck, my back, my tailbone.  When one ache disappeared, another would take its place.  I thought perhaps I needed a shrink.  Well shrink be gone, as after about a week on these pills (just 1600 IU), the pain went away!!!!  Just before the pills, my tailbone had been acting up from an accident I’d had a few years back, a trip down cement steps on my backside.  I remember thinking that I was too young to have to hold onto the arms of a chair or onto a table in order to get up and sit down without pain.  But that pain went away — and was never replaced by any other.  Think of the money I’ve saved on therapy. : )  There are several articles about vitamin D and pain.  Google it and you will see even more.

Vitamin D and Longevity. If you haven’t read the articles in the links above, please take note of this now: vitamin D3 also helps CLL patients live longer.  In case it wasn’t enough that it makes you feel better, scientists/doctors are now saying that deficiency increases mortality. (If you don’t have enough vitamin D in your body, and you have CLL, you are more likely to die.)    Make sure you take D3 and NOT D2 –D2 is synthetic, not what you want!.

Why are we deficient in vitamin D? Vitamin D is manufactured in our skin when we are exposed to direct sunlight without sun block.  Yes, I know.  Dermatologists have been warning us for decades to stay out of the sun.  Maybe that’s helped prevent some skin cancer cases, but the unintended consequences have been terrible.  Vitamin D deficiency is responsible for susceptibility to cancer!  Even melanoma.  (How ironic is that?)  Here is a list from the Vitamin D Council.

Get out in the sun. You’ve heard of safe sex.  Now have some safe sun.  Get out in the sun, every day (when warm enough) for about 15-20 minutes, with as much skin exposed as is legal and practical), and get out before you burn.  Sun burn is NOT healthy.  Sun exposure is very healthy. Remember when people were told to get plenty of fresh air and sunshine?  Both are therapeutic.

Bottom line is check your vitamin D levels regularly, preferably by an alternative practitioner.  Here is the information about what test should be ordered and what the proper level of vitamin D should be.  The test is the 25 (OH)D test.  Your level should be between 50-80 ng/ml, year round.  If you can’t get out into the sun for practical or seasonal reasons, then supplement.  Give it a try.  I hope you have stellar results like I did!