Breast Cancer and complementary or integrative therapies

Thank you. 🙂

I had my surgery in November 2022. Feeling very healthy and good. Doing high dose of vitamin C 75 grams per week, Chinese herbs tea, acupuncture, lymphatic massage, a lot of juicing, dry, water, intermittent fasting, walking, biking, rope jumping, trampoline. Oncotype 16 no deed for chemo and radiation. Tamoxifen recommended.

How are you Natalie?

A young female friend is lookin into Crybolation/Cryotherapy to freeze breast cancer cells . Another male friend said the line is long for men with prostrate cancer to use, but it is covered. She is only 38 and found it in AZ for like $100.000 + not covered by insurance. I know it is in St Pete's FL and around Myrtle Beach, for men, but do not know if it is covered by insurance for females? I have not done any further research bec I had the lumpectomy surgery. and my supplement plan covered. I am uncertain if one still needs radiation. ? Best of luck and God Bless

I had the same diagnosis last fall, IDC stage 1, small tumor, ONCO 16. My husband had read about the Cryo treatment for other types of cancer and specifically asked all my docs at Mayo, Az. The consensus was we don’t do that procedure. I had surgery and elected a short 5 day course of radiation.
I really believe the Cryo is a wonderful option to consider, as I have had it previously for cervical dysplasia. I, too have prayed and researched and am continuing along my recovery journey. I eat healthy, excersise and have recently returned to Mayo for a followup 4 mo post treatment mammo.
I applaud your approach to wholistic cures. I know God has a plan for our bodies to cure themselves, but in this fallen world with toxins at every turn (air, water, food, environmental) I chose the conventional route to remove my tumor as quickly as possible to prevent further growth and relieve my ongoing stress level. I refused any AI treatment and continue to Trust.
Bless you on this hard journey❤️

I looked into cryoablation, however my tumor did not qualify it would have cost 5k cash out of pocket however it is covered under Medicare if you have that coverage. I do not think you get radiation after it but not sure. The procedure which takes under 45 minutes and under local pain meds is to me, the future of breast cancer treatment. The area treated starts to feel soft and the ablation starts an immune response that continues to kill any cells left behind.
It's intended for women >65 who have tiny tumors under 1.5 cm. I think more clinical trials need to be done to explore this because I think it's logical and could be a life saving technology.

Natalie- Most importantly this is your journey and you should definitely do what is right for you. Know that this whole community holds you in their thoughts and prayers. I got diagnosed with bi-lateral breast cancer in December and had double lumpectomies followed by 5 days of radiation and AI. My diagnosis came as a complete surprise as I have always led and extremely healthy life. Like you, I looked into absolutely every type of alternative treatment and talked to multiple cancer centers. It is my understanding (I'm not a doctor) that the problem with Cryo for breast cancer is that they can't sample the tumor afterwards and that they can't sample your lymph nodes for a possible spread of cancer. Having the tumor analyzed and having your lymph nodes checked are pretty important for establishing your medical history. (again not a doctor so just relaying what I learned). The AI that I was prescribed (Arimidex) has been very hard on my body so I am not taking the full dose (which my doctors don't like) but I am taking it daily. I am also taking Chrysin which is a natural substance to reduce estrogen. The doctors don't object to that. I asked my doctors for a list of herbs that were not recommended and surprisingly Resveratrol was on the list of "not recommended" as it may increase estrogen though grape seed extract was recommended for the hot flashes brought on by the AI. I hope this is helpful. We are all sending you love and health.

What kind of Chinese herbal tea are you taking? I got an Oncotype 16 too but 2 oncologists recommended I do chemo because I had a grade 3 tumor. And just finished 20 rounds of radiation. Feeling like I did too much. I just had the CYP2D6 test done and found out I’m an intermediate metabolizer. Not sure where this puts me as I start hormone therapy

@brighterdays I had grade 3 as well and Oncotype of 8. Tumor board and 3 docs said no chemo. I also had lymphovascular invasion (lymph as far as I know). I wonder if the ER/PR scores are the reason for the chemo suggestion, or if you are much younger than me. I did letrozolo for 5 years- now 8 1/2 years out.