My Friend with Multiple Myeloma

I have a dear friend in Seattle who has multiple myeloma and has already gone through 14 months of chemotherapy. Her cancer has been in remission but her immune system is not yet working properly--her white blood cell count keeps dropping.

While my friend has worked with a naturopath, a chiropractor (multiple myeloma comes with a lot of pain from bones becoming weak) , and a Chinese medicine doctor, she had not taken a nutritional approach to her cancer treatment. Now, she is open to learning more about nutritional protocols, as her spirits have fallen due to her low white blood cell counts.

I sent my friend links to Bill Henderson's Cancer Free and Patrick Quillin's book, Beating Cancer with Nutrition. I also introduced her to Dr. Rodier, who did a phone consultation with her on Monday. Here are some of the things Dr. Rodier discussed with her:

• Cancer as a DNA mutation prompted by environmental toxins. In the case of multiple myeloma, he believes that diesel fuels and gasoline are major culprits, so he recommended avoiding exposure as much as possible (my friend has quite a sense of humor and said she'll just have to get her husband to pump her gas for her).
• Improving detoxification, particularly in the liver, to help boost immune system function. He explained that without the right nutrients and diet, detoxification pathways malfunction and don't permit proper elimination of toxins that trip up DNA and turn on the wrong genes.
• Eczema as a clear sign that my friend's detoxification process was not working properly. He recommended N-acetyl-cysteine at 1200mg / day and whey protein to stimulate her liver to detoxify more effectively.
• Anamu, a rainforest herb that supports healthy immune function (I hadn't heard of this one before)
  
• Constant Health as a daily immune, intestinal, and detoxification supplement (Dr. Rodier helped us formulate Constant Health to address immune health through a healthy gut).
  
• Fiber, lots of it, to support elimination of toxins and omega-3 fatty acids to support healthy cellular function.
  
• Vitamin D3 to achieve at least 10,000 IU / day (with the goal of getting serum levels above 80, far above what clinicians believe is adequate).
• Curcumin and green tea supplements, which are both known to have cancer-fighting properties.
• Probiotics at 10 capsules a day to support friendly bacteria in my friend's gut.
• Saunas, as sweating helps the body detoxify itself. He also recommended coffee enemas to stimulate the liver to detoxify more efficiently (my friend made the "eeew" sound and said this was the least attractive part of advice she received).
• Avoidance of all sugars, including wine and even all grains, to avoid feeding cancer cells with what they most like for energy.
  

Dr. Rodier cited research data that indicates that two thirds of all cancers can be prevented with diet alone.

A nutritional approach takes a real personal investment and can feel complex to someone accustomed to filling prescriptions and taking a few basics like calcium for bone loss and n-acetyl-cysteine and D3 at much lower levels (meaning fewer capsules).

I think my friend is bought in to nourishing her poor overworked cells. I hope so. I love her dearly.