Holistic vs surgery, radiation or chemotherapy

I take berberine as well; it's supposed to act similarly to Metformin. Recently, I came across Gymnema and have added it to my supplement routine.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gymnema-sylvestre-benefits

Love it, thank you Colleen. I've, I mean we, my oncologist and I, designed "Integrative" treatments into my treatment plan. Epically helpful.

An integrated holistic approach can only be a good thing….BUT it is not a replacement for interventive medical treatment. None of us want this, but someone already commented that with cancer there is no free lunch - how true!!
I always hear about the great conspiracy: “they know how to cure cancer - but they’re making too much money to let that happen”. WHAT A CROCK!!! Imagine the $$ they could really make with a damn cure!!! I’d pay anything and everything for a true ‘cure’. And BTW , avoiding a lot of sugar is advisable but it has NOT been proven to feed cancer and more than a few have died clinging to this false hope.
Best of luck to you and the rest of us!
AL

@pieperfarm, you ask a good question that is often asked by cancer patients.

- Sugar's Role in Cancer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/cancer-education-center/newsfeed-post/sugars-role-in-cancer-1/
According to this article by Mayo Clinic nurse educators "Sugar seems to be a major source of anxiety and fear for people with cancer. There is a myth circulating that sugar feeds cancer and that avoiding sugar will prevent the growth of cancer. To set things straight…sugar does not cause cancer on its own. Giving sugar to cancer cells does not make them grow faster and depriving cancer cells of sugar does not make them grow more slowly. ..."

Eating a heathy diet can reduce the risk of getting cancer and the risk of recurrence. Less sugar is usually part of a health diet. Sugar does not "feed" cancer.

@melcanada just posted this great video in another discussion in the Prostate Cancer support group that is worth posting here too.

Everyone should know this Its diabetics that should be concerned about sugar for their diabetes

Here is more food for thought. A 2020 article from the Prostate Cancer Foundation website about Dr. Lew Cantley's research. He is Director of the Cancer Center at Weil Cornell medicine.
https://www.pcf.org/c/prostate-cancers-sweet-tooth/
From the article: "Cancer loves sugar, and sugar really loves cancer. Isn’t that sweet? Actually, no, it’s more like a match made in hell – because sugar (glucose) makes many types of cancer grow faster."
And "Scientists have long known that cancers soak up glucose like a sponge; in fact, German physiologist Otto Warburg, who found that tumors extract glucose at a rate 20 to 50 times higher than do normal cells, won the 1931 Nobel Prize for his research on metabolism."
And "But Cantley’s studies suggest that it’s not so much the amount of glucose in your bloodstream that helps promote cancer, as it is the level of insulin, the hormone made by the pancreas that controls glucose."
And "If you are on ADT for metastatic prostate cancer, you are more likely to gain weight, and also to develop insulin resistance. One way to fight this is by limiting your sugar and simple-to-digest carbs. Bonus: keeping insulin down may also help slow down the cancer."
Finally, “The more we learn about cancer metabolism, we are understanding that cancers are addicted to particular things. For many cancers, that thing is sugar.”

This too is valuable info
https://airomedical.com/blogs/treatment-guides/what-is-better-actinium-radium-or-lutetium-for-prostate-cancer

Lots of great posts! Question: what counties have the lowest prostate rates and which ones have the highest? Now: what do they eat and not eat? Interesting stuff!

Jerry, here are some statistics about prostate cancer prevalence around the world
https://www.wcrf.org/cancer-trends/prostate-cancer-statistics/
- Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality: Global Status and Temporal Trends in 89 Countries From 2000 to 2019 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8888523/

“And "If you are on ADT for metastatic prostate cancer, you are more likely to gain weight, and also to develop insulin resistance. One way to fight this is by limiting your sugar and simple-to-digest carbs. Bonus: keeping insulin down may also help slow down the cancer."”

I was on degarelix for a year ending 6/23/25.

In early May I had a retinal detachment, which was attributed to near-sightedness. However, I had a recent incident of amaurosis fugax. Bloodwork done twice over 3 days showed glucose of 141 then 174!!!

It had been normal for the 3 1/4 years of my prostate cancer journey.

I had 4 major surgeries beg 11/22 yet have averaged 5,000 steps per day including a month of inactivity after retinal detachment surgery.

Now - to add it all up. I refused to believe the guidelines that say 5000 steps per day is the border between inactive and lightly active so I would call myself above average active for the last 3 1/2 years. I’ve had an extremely difficult time losing visceral fat, although my diet has been generally very good With occasional sweets and occasionally too much natural sugar through protein shakes mix with fruit.

But now I’m connecting all the dots, and I think the visceral fat arising from ADT has put me on the brink of type two diabetes. This intern may have caused my retinal detachment and almost certainly caused a recent bout of amaurosis fugat, which of the last five days has resulted in a six hour emergency room visit, an unscheduled visit to my retinal specialist, and a visit to a new doctor, a neurologist in Manhattan yesterday, which added no value and ended with me, wishing I could punch the guy. And don’t edit my comment. I’m not violent. I’m just expressing frustration.

My glucose has been in the normal range for for all of the 3+ years that I’ve had prostate cancer and two year long sessions of ADT. Only recently did it spike severely.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is just to say that, although it may have been or should’ve been intuitive, and although I’m responsible for my own health, I wish I’ve been warned a little bit louder about the dangers of visceral fat, if not caused by, but certainly helped by zero testosterone arising from ADT.

And even with my recent episode of losing my site briefly and then having two blood test show alarming glucose levels., I appear to be the only person connecting the dots and pushing for a diabetes screening test. Here in the New York area I’m getting told by every doctor that the next appointment is September October, November. Not a single person on my prostate cancer team, neither my oncologist nor my surgeon nor the nurse practitioners have called me to discuss my 174 glucose reading of a few few days ago.

Gentlemen, hear me loud and clear. We are responsible for our own healthcare. I’ve had two cancers treated at one of the world‘s most recognized cancer hospitals, and I was a miracle responder to immunotherapy on one of the cancers. My doctors take a lot of interest in me because my situation is very unique Due to several genetic defects harbor yet now that my glucose is going through the roof and they know that I lost sight in my eye for a short while nobody is calling me Fortune I am well passed the stage where I had to learn that I’m responsible for my own healthcare and I’m pushing forward with Getting testing for diabetes. But if any of you have an oncologist, who would call you in a situation like this you should count your blessings when I asked my oncologist of two years if he had any recommendations on a surgeon to replace my aortic valve, he bluntly said no I can’t help you with that. I pressed the little in. Do you do you have an opinion on what hospital in New York City is generally known for this? His answer : no.

I’m so freaked out and tired of dialing for new doctors, which is a pain in the New York area that I’m going to CVS tomorrow for a diabetes test in a walk-in clinic. If I am any sort of diabetic, I’m praying that it’s pre-diabetes which I believe can almost be outright reversed through diet and exercise

But for men on antigen deprivation therapy who are having a hard time losing belly fat my advice is to watch your glucose in your blood work watch your sugar consumption and get your exercise to at least 7500 steps per day because apparently 5000 which I thought was Fairly energetic for the average American is insufficient.

And if your glucose spikes and you’re worried about diabetes, just go to CVS and have them do the test for $80 instead of spending four or five hours on the phone getting frustrated at the disinterested women who answer the phone and are not the least bit moved by your anxiety. Once and for all take control of every aspect of your health.

And in case I didn’t make it clear in this rambling response the real reason for this post is to say yeah we all know that it’s hard to lose weight under ADT, but what no one ever said to me is the visceral fact that you can’t lose or having a hard time, losing put you at exceptionally high risk for diabetes. Of course I know that excess weight is not good, but it has only been during my time with prostate cancer that I’ve developed this extra 10 to 15 pounds via ADT then I just cannot shake unfortunately I have found the doctors in the leading cancer hospital in the United States Are very much silo in their advice. They don’t look at things holistically I know plenty of guys carrying an extra 20 pounds you don’t develop diabetes.

So hear me now whether or not your onco will tell you: ADT puts you at higher risk for diabetes!!!!