Friday, June 29, 2012

Worried about the side effects of cancer recovery drug Tamoxifen and chose to ...

  • Miss Sewart’s diet bans dairy and meat and contains frozen berries, vegetables and spices such as garlic, turmeric and ginger
  • She says turmeric ‘makes cancer cells commit suicide’
  • Worried about the side effects of cancer recovery drug Tamoxifen and chose to change her diet and exercise routines instead

By
Luke Salkeld and Fiona Macrae


PUBLISHED:

14:30 EST, 24 June 2012

|

UPDATED:

01:42 EST, 25 June 2012

Vicky Sewart, pictured in her jewellery shop in Plymouth, opted to treat her condition with a health regime involving exercise and special foods

Vicky Sewart, pictured in her jewellery shop in Plymouth, opted to treat her condition with a health regime involving exercise and special foods

A breast cancer patient refused to take powerful drugs she  was offered to stop the disease returning – and chose to depend on a spicy low-fat diet instead.

Following surgery, Vicky Sewart, 44, was worried about possible side-effects from taking the medication.

So instead, she launched herself into a health regime of exercise and specially chosen foods, including turmeric, which she claims 'makes cancer cells commit suicide'.

Experts have warned there is little scientific evidence to back up her claims.

But Miss Sewart believes that the diet she followed after undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery was a vital part of her recovery from the disease.

Her experience will now form part of an academic study into how lifestyle can affect the body's response to cancer.

After she was diagnosed, Miss Sewart did her own research into which foods might have a positive impact on her recovery.

And following an operation to remove a breast and lymph node four years ago, she told doctors she would not take Tamoxifen during remission but would be following her own 'anti-cancer' diet instead.

She said: 'It's very unusual for breast cancer patients not to take the drug.

'When I told the doctors I didn't want to take it, they just advised me to keep oestrogen out of my body, which is basically what the drug does.

‘The doctors absolutely will not say that the diet is going to do anything to help the cancer in any way, other than to say a healthy diet is going to help in the fight against any disease.

Recovering: A picture of Vicky in Antigua, 2008. Concerned about the side-effects of medical drug Tamoxifen Ms Sewart, 44, designed a vegan, diary free diet which included a range of superfoods from frozen berries to curry spices

Recovering: A picture of Vicky in Antigua, 2008. Concerned about the side-effects of medical drug Tamoxifen Miss Sewart, 44, designed a vegan, diary free diet which included a range of superfoods from frozen berries to curry spices

This was four years ago and I think
attitudes are changing a bit now so that these ideas are running
alongside the more usual treatments.

‘I believe absolutely enormously that my diet has assisted my recovery.'

Explaining her decision not to take
Tamoxifen, she went on: 'It was the worry  of the drugs and the side
effects, I didn't want to have to worry about it, I wanted  to be free.'

Turmeric, a spice used when making curry dishes

Turmeric, a spice used when making curry dishes

The jewellery designer and gallery
owner started her health regime with a mostly organic vegan diet,
cutting out all dairy products, adding plenty of 'super-foods', and
taking moderate exercise.

She said: 'Fresh fruit, vegetables
and juices are great, and frozen berries are fantastic as a super-food.
Turmeric kind of makes cancer cells commit suicide and ginger and garlic
are great to cook with.'

For the past four years, Miss Sewart
has provided blood and urine samples and filled in regular
questionnaires as part of national research into how lifestyle can help
prevent the recurrence of breast cancer after surgery.

The largest study of its kind in the world, it involves 56 hospitals around the UK and 3,400 patients who have had the disease.

The full results will be published next year.

Meanwhile, Miss Sewart, from
Plymouth, is hoping to mark her five-year remission next summer and is
due to marry later this year.

Describing her experience of cancer, she added: 'People can die, or come back from it and enjoy life.

‘You've just got to be thankful you're still around.'

Strawberries is a superfood

Ms Sweart used ginger root in her diet

Vicky Sweart used both frozen berries like strawberries and ginger root in her diet which she claims has helped recovery from breast cancer

However, experts urged other cancer sufferers not to abandon conventional treatments.

Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK,
said: 'It's not recommended that alternative therapies are  used in
place of conventional medical therapy.

'There is little scientific or
medical evidence to indicate that alternative therapies are more
effective than the proven treatments used by cancer specialists on the
NHS.

‘We would urge anyone to talk to their specialist if they're contemplating them.'

Dr Steve Kelly, who specialises  in
breast cancer at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, said: 'Breast cancer
deaths have been going down steadily for over 20 years thanks to
surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

'But there are three things patients can do to help themselves. It doesn't guarantee survival, but it does help.

'The first is to exercise for 30
minutes, three days a week. The second is to not gain any weight, and
the third is to reduce fat intake.

'These things help to reduce the chance of cancer coming back. For this patient, four years on now, it is still early days.' 

He added: 'My job is not to make people have Tamoxifen, but advise people of the risks and benefits.

‘Treatment comes down to a patient, and height, weight and exercise levels are helpful in making a decision.'

Tamoxifen is Britain's most
widely-used breast cancer drug,  given to more than half of patients to
stop tumours from returning after surgery.

The tablets, which cost as little as
aspirin and are taken for up to five years, also prevent the development
of new tumours in an unaffected breast.

The drug, originally developed as a
contraceptive, is the gold standard treatment for breast cancer and has
been given to millions around the world since the 1980s.

It works by blocking the female sex hormone oestrogen from fuelling the growth of tumours.

Used after surgery, it cuts the odds of the tumour returning by around 30 per cent. However, it does not work in all cases.

In contrast, the evidence for curry
spices such as turmeric beating cancer mainly comes from the study of
cells in a dish – while evidence from the treatment of actual patients
is sparse.

In laboratory studies it seems to be
able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing, particularly in
breast, bowel, stomach and skin cancers.

It has also been shown to appear to stop the spread of breast cancer cells to other parts of the body in mice.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not
debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.



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//85% of oncologists admit they would not have conventinal cancer treatment IE chemo and radiation//…..The reason for that is that they understand the discomfort of the treatment and the often very low chance of actually beating the disease. These oncologists have also said they would prefer simply to be made comfortable as they wait to die Don’t recall any saying they’d trust in alternative therapies to cure cancer Their point was that the chance of actually beating the disease was often slight. The quality of life in the last months and years of life was their concern.

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I remember the recent report in the press about how colloidal silver is now seriously being accepted as a genuine adjunct to allopathic cancer therapy. In leukemia, colloidal silver killed 98% of blood cancer cells in 24 hours in an American study about 10 years ago. Hydrazine Sulphate, Cesium Chloride, laetrile, oxygen therapies, organic food, exercise, not wearing bras at night (allowing full blood lymph circulation- avoid breast cancer), avoiding chemical birth control and abortions (these affect estrogen levels leading to higher incidence of cancer). Also venus fly trap and cat’s claw combined is a great therapy, also see how hemp is curing people in the YouTube video ‘run from the cure’. There are many other therapies that can all play a part in healing, DMSO, chi gung (gong) , enzyme therapies such as antineoplaston therapy, which was proven very successful by Dr Burzynski, yet heavily suppressed by the FDA in America to protect the pharmaceutical industries financial interests.

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I am amazed and saddened at all the red arrows following my comment on how raw milk containing colostrum has been successfully used to cure leukemia. Were the red arrows from mindless trolls, or representatives of the pharmaceutical industry? Because to reject that very genuine therapy and thus discourage leukemia sufferers from considering that alternative is not a good thing. I mentioned this therapy to another acquaintance with leukemia who, like the red arrow people here decided not to try the alternative therapy. He only followed his oncologists advice to stop using all milk produce, he did not even consider that raw milk might really be any different. He was a work colleague of mine who then stuck to standard allopathic care, and very rapidly went downhill, dying a few months later, when, if he had tried what i suggested, he might well have lived, and avoided much suffering.

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As a large survey of the benefits of chemotherapy showed a benefit of just 1.4% in the US and 1.6% in Australia, for chemo in breast cancer,[1] turmeric or anything else certainly would have a job to be any worse. And with none of the life-destroying side effects of conventional chemo, I am surprised that more women don’t do a bit of research and take an alternative course.
1. Morgan G, et al. The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy to 5-year Survival in Adult Malignancies. Clinical Oncology 2004; 16: 549-560.

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More than a thousand views of “CANCER – THE FORBIDDEN CURES” since yesterday, just shows there are a lot of open minded people around. Thankyou Vicky for the inspiration.

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I am taking Tamoxifen for breast cancer, after having a mastectomy with reconstruction, chemo and radiotherapy. I also include a Turmeric supplement, a Vitamin D supplement, B17 (Apricot Kernels), a good multivitamin and organic fruit and vegetables in my diet (especially red peppers and tomatoes), together with exercise. Tamofixen can cause terrible side-effects, including induced menopause, night sweats, hot flushes and aching limbs. Having followed the conventional treatment regimen, I now wish to include other, beneficial supplements and ‘alternative’ approaches in my fight to stop the cancer returning. This lady has exercised her right to choose how she lives here life following her cancer diagnosis. Good luck to her, and, as for the gentleman who pronounced cancer ‘a myth’, I sincerely hope you are never diagnosed, as you will swiftly discover that there is nothing ‘mythical’ about cancer!

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She is right to avoid milk products if they are pasteurized, as all the anti cancer compound contained in it known as colostrum will have been destroyed by pasteurization. Raw milk still contains colostrum however, and cow milk has been successfully used to cure leukemia. An acquaintance of mine had a friend who had leukemia, and he was advised by an ayurvedic medical practitioner to move from England to Vrindavan in India and live on nothing but raw cow milk for one year to cure himself of leukemia, and it worked. Other examples can be found on the internet who have used raw cow milk as therapy for leukemia.

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‘The China Study’….read it.

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Very interesting, ive heard this before, I was due to have chemo after xmas, but brought a health band from ionic-now.co.uk went to start chemo but they said it had gone down so i had started tumeric as well now and its low enough not to start chemo

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Completely Average, Somewhere: Some ‘backwater country’ as you call it may have lower survival rates due to unclean water etc. There is more than one factor at play here. I would change your name to below average if I were you :)

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