So hard to find the finish line...

It's time to wrap up our series with Mapping the Journey: Pancreatic Cancer 101... Yet, so hard to find the finish line...

There is much still on my heart to share.  Did we really just scratch the surface?   Each journey so unique, yet bound together by the hurt and hope of this cancer road...

Most Journeys end with a specific destination in mind.  Our GPS navigators need an address to point to.  An end of the road, a stopping point...

We laugh with dear friends over their recent trip to Niagara Falls.  Despite all their careful planning, a reservation snafu about did them in.  They had excitedly researched their scenic road trip and planned short, overnight stays  at several charming Bed and Breakfasts within a couple hours of the Falls and Lake Ontario.

All went well until the morning  they plugged their next Bed and Breakfast destination into their GPS and discovered that they had made reservations at an Inn 16 hours away... Turns out that Prince Edward Island and Prince Edward County are indeed two very different destinations!

A quick phone call put their reservations to rights, and with the ease of seasoned travelers they said "Oops" and the journey continued on... (and provided countless hours of hilarity for their family and friends... they are on our DO NOT LET THEM PLAN OUR NEXT CAMPING TRIP list... we may end up on a deserted Island somewhere kind of humor.)

It's somewhat the same as we map the cancer road, minus much of the humor to be sure.  Along the way on mom's pancreatic cancer journey, we had more than our fair share of "oops" moments... when things didn't go as expected, or even happen at all... when treatments failed or caused more than "slight discomfort."  Harder here to just shrug it off and continue on.

This destination, this life... this journey is so vitally important.  It is where life and death hang in the balance.  Where every detour leaves us blinded and panicked... 

How do we handle these dips and curves in the road?  The ups and downs, the roller-coaster journey that cancer drags us through?

We are learning, moment by moment that this is where Grace finds us and carries us...

It is as much a part of the Journey as the doctors and treatment plans and decisions over clinical trials and alternative medicine.

Would you walk with me just a little further?  Down roads where cancer isn't the main attraction?  Where Life Lived Well trumps every dig from cancer's cruel grip?

There is a Way... There is a Peace that covers our path...even a path that is marked by pancreatic cancer.

Join me tomorrow as we explore the work of Hope, and Family, and Friends, and Love on this Cancer Journey...

There's always Grace enough for each day, Always,
                                                                              Jane

Mapping the Best Plan for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Our series is coming to a close... we have mapped a journey through both traditional and alternative treatments for pancreatic cancer.

So many cancer patients are struggling hard with these decisions...

Do we take the conventional, traditional approach that our oncology doctor is advocating.

Or do we listen to some of the alternative, holistic methodology and treat our cancer the natural way...

Our very lives tremble in the balance on decisions we make today.

The. Hardest. Decisions...

What if it were possible to blend the best of both worlds?  Traditional and Alternative?

Might I share a whisper of Hope to those on the hard road of this cancer journey...

There are survivors.  Moms. Dads. Sisters. Brothers. Friends. Family. 

They have survived and thrived and are journeying past the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  Is it not the hope of our hearts?

Meet Chris.  She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer in 2008.  She was told she had 6 months to live.  A second opinion confirmed the devastating diagnosis, offering little in the way of Hope.  Chris wasn't ready to give up.  She was ready to fight.  She just needed to find a healthcare team that was up to the battle.  She chose Cancer Treatment Centers of America, now renamed City of Hope.

In this unique Medical Center, patients receive state of the art treatment with the latest technology has to offer in conventional care (chemo, radiation and surgery) along with the time-honored techniques of naturopathic medicine to strengthen the immune system and naturally manage the grievous side effects of cancer treatment.

Chris chose to use a uniquely blended treatment plan for her cancer.  This included traditional chemotherapy as well as a nutritional program (juicing), naturopathic support (herbal supplements), acupuncture and massage, as well as several other services specifically fine-tuned for her case.

And then there is Larry, a firefighter facing stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I encourage you to click here to read his inspiring story.

Survivors.  Thriving after Pancreatic Cancer... Hope to Hurting Hearts.

CTCA is quick to point out that their results may not be typical or expected.

BUT, to Chris and Larry... they are living out their results every day... Grateful, Alive and so Generously Paying It Forward, Spreading Hope for each one of us caught in the living nightmare of this pancreatic cancer journey.

So what makes the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/City of Hope so different?

They are what we would consider an Integrative Cancer Center.   Integrating the best of the traditional cancer treatments with the holistic, naturopathic techniques that support the whole body and encourage the natural self-healing process.

And they are not the only Cancer Centers beginning to incorporate this Integrative Management Plan...

The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment

Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine Services

The Integrative Medicine Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center

And the list goes on... I could not say that each Integrative Cancer Center uses the same philosophy... some tend to lean more towards the naturopathic (alternative) approach and others still lean towards traditional treatment with a small nod toward the nutritional aspect of cancer care.

If this type of cancer treatment plan intrigues you... then let your research begin.

Call the Centers.  Talk to their teams.  Ask Questions.  Lots of Questions...  Do more research...

This is where the Knowledge you have gained by learning about the different approaches to pancreatic cancer treatment pays off in Power...

The Power to make an intelligent, well-thought out decision for your care...

The Powerful Perspective of Priorities... for as you have read, and listened and prayed... the goals most important to you will have surfaced... and the decisions will follow...

Integrative Cancer Care... Perhaps it just may be the best of both worlds... It may or may not be the right choice for you.  However, now we know that there are choices.

Here it loud and clear...

There are options for this pancreatic cancer journey... And Hope...

Praying hard as decisions are made, and battle lines are drawn in this fight for our very lives.

Trusting in Grace to guide us safely through, Always,
                                                                                 Jane

Barley Life

In the whole scheme of pancreatic cancer treatment, the Barley Life Supplement is pretty far down the list.

It doesn't claim to be a miracle cure.  As a matter of fact, the Barley Life developers are careful not to advise their supplement for cancer treatment.

Here is a link to their page on the Barley Life products.

As you can see it is simply a whole food concentrate made from the young Barley grass.  You can read about the process and benefits of the Barley grass here on this datasheet.

So, you're wondering, why do I mention it here?  On our journey to discover the best pancreatic cancer treatments?

Well, Barley Life can be considered a cancer treatment aid.  Not a cure.  But a tool to use to help your body maintain optimal health and immune safety while undergoing the rigors of many cancer treatments.

Mom actually did try the Barley Life supplement at the urging of a dear friend.  We have tracked her progress on the website with Barley Life here.

As you can see, Mom did think the Barley Life capsules helped her in small ways on her journey.  The Gemzar chemotherapy protocol is not an easy treatment.  Mom dealt with many side-effects.  The biggest was the never-ending low blood counts.

When she began taking the Barley Life, we believe that the blood counts stabilized somewhat.  Did they completely reverse the effects of chemo?  NO.  However, her general malaise, fevers and flu-like symptoms were much less pronounced and she was able to stay on the Gemzar treatment for many months longer than her doctors anticipated.

Did the Barley Life perhaps contribute to her ability to maintain traditional treatment?  Possibly.

We make no claims here.  Just sharing mom's story.

It's another piece to the puzzle.  For the one thing we have found on this cancer journey, there is no such thing as a simple fix.  Whether you try traditional or alternative treatments, there will be questions and side effects and difficulties.

The Barley Green supplement may offer some badly needed support in the fight....

One battle at a time. 

In Grace tonight,
                        Jane

Graviola and PawPaw

Autumn and Pepaw

Oh wait... Was that PawPaw you say?  My mistake... Pepaw's one of my most favorite people in the world, it's understandable that I would hear Pepaw instead of PawPaw... Tomato, Tom-ah-to and all that, besides we needed a picture that smiles after a whole month of Mapping the Journey with Pancreatic Cancer!

But back to Graviola and PawPaw... I am already very intrigued by an alternative pancreatic cancer treatment called PawPaw.

So,what's up with these two?  Let's get down to some serious research...

Graviola is a tree found predominantly in the rainforests of Africa and South America.  It produces a fruit that many believe possesses amazing cancer fighting potential.

The Graviola fruit is also called Soursop, Custard Apple or Brazilian PawPaw.

But don't get confused.  There is actually a PawPaw tree that grows throughout much of North America.

The Graviola tree and the PawPaw tree are "cousins."  And both have reported cancer fighting potential.

Here's the Graviola Tree:

 

And here's the PawPaw tree:

 

I found a lot of detailed medical information. For example...

Graviola extracts were effective against the growth of adriamucin-resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma (MCF-7Adr) by blocking access of cancer cells to ATP and by inhibiting the actions of plasma membrane glycoprotein.  They also inhibited expressionof HIF-1a, NF-kB, glucose transporters, and glycolytic enzymes resulting in decreased glucose uptake and ATP production in pancreatic cancer cells.

I'm feeling a headache coming on...  The only words the average person understands in that paragraph is cancer cells.  From there it's all Blah-Blah-Blah....

Thank goodness for a simpler version... for folks like me...

In the 1970's, a study by the Purdue University was funded by the National Cancer Institute to research the cancer fighting potential of these plants.  They found that the graviola seed was 10,000 times more powerful than Adriamycin, a chemotherapy drug.

Can I just say Wow?  And this was, ummm, 40 years ago?  But wait, it gets better.

The scientists, led by Dr. Jerry McGuire found that the PawPaw plant was 24 times more effective than Graviola.

I might be a little speechless...

Are you asking the same thing?  Why haven't we heard more about these trees and their amazing anti-cancer potential?

I don't have an answer (still speechless)

But I do have some more ancedotal information.

It appears that these trees (the bark, leaves, roots, fruit, seeds and pulp) contain natural chemicals that effectively stop the growth of certain cancer cells.  

These natural chemicals are called Acetogenins.  They are fatty acids that somehow (that's my shortcut to a long biological explantion) shut down the growth of blood vessels in these cancer cells, so they are unable to get energy and therefore die.  The acetogenins also slow the growth of multiple drug resistant cells (like cancer cells).  So all in all, the Graviola and PawPaw trees sound pretty amazing...

One particular study found that the leaves of the PawPaw tree had the strongest effective against pancreatic cancer cells.

Unfortunately, all these past studies have been done in the lab, not on humans... Sigh... Of course, something that sounds so good, just might be...too good.

Which brings me to the critics of such amazing claims...  there's just not enough clinical evidence using human trials to verify some of these astonishing claims.  The Cancer Treatment Centers of Amercia have posted this article concerned over the possible neurotoxicity of using Graviola.

And their concern is valid, in the sense that more human clinical trials are needed.  Does that diminish the hope that preliminary trials in the lab have given us?  I, for one, believe that we are so close to unraveling the pancreatic cancer riddle.

Will it be Graviola or PawPaw?

I just don't know... but I can leave you with one woman's personal battle with pancreatic cancer and how she implemented graviola into her treatment plan... 

As always, please, please discuss these treatments with your healthcare team.  The use of Graviola and/or PawPaw may lead to serious complications, side-effects and neurotoxicity... of course, chemotherapy and radiation aren't too gentle either... just saying...

Praying hard through this journey, for wisdom, for grace, for understanding.  May each day bring us closer to the time we can say with confidence... I am a Pancreatic Cancer Survivor.

Hallelujah Moments in the Making.
                                           My Love, Always,
                                                                   Jane

Tea Anyone?

One can't research Pancreatic Cancer Treatments very long before running into Essiac Tea.

It has long been touted as an effective method of curing cancer...even pancreatic cancer.  I definitely feel it has a place here in our pancreatic cancer alternative treatments discussion.

I have never made Essiac Tea or tried it.  But the research was indeed interesting...

Essiac tea is composed of 4 herbs. 

Two are Sheep Sorrel and Burdock Root, both known for their cancer-killing effect.  And the other two are Slippery Elm Bark and Turkey Rhubarb Root, known for their immune-boosting powers.

Essiac Tea has its share of critics... but what I couldn't find were any ancedotal experiences of harm from the tea, so as our motto is "first do no harm," I am inclined to include Essiac Tea here for consideration.

To get a really good understanding of the History and Story behind Essiac Tea, take some time to read through the articles at The Truth about Essiac on the Health Freedom website.  They present an abundance of information about the tea and all the hows and whys behind its apparent success.

They also have a link to several videos about Essiac Tea.  One in particular is very informative on how to Brew the Tea at home...

Many local health food stores will also share copious amounts of information... But, here one needs to be careful.  In my research I have come across many vendors that have jumped on the Essiac Tea bandwagon.  Some sell products that may or may not have the correct herbs, or potency. 

So... Two Big Cautions for this alternative treatment:

1)  As always, please, please talk with your healthcare team if you are considering adding Essiac Tea in to your treatment plan.

2)  Whenever possible, grow the herbs yourself and make your own tea to insure purity, and if that's not possible, purchase the herbs and/or tea from a reputable herbal dealer.


Do I think that drinking Essiac Tea will cure pancreatic cancer?  I honestly do not know... I wish, so often, that mom was still here.  Perhaps she would have given it a try.  Then we might have had a more personal experience with this alternative remedy.

Do I think that drinking Essiac Tea will harm you?  I do not believe so... but always caution you to talk with your doctor... each case is so different, each body has unique strengths and weaknesses, each treatment plan is dependent on so many factors, and each herb has much potential for good...

And bad.  Remember... Hemlock is a Herb... A Very Poisonous Herb.  Do Not Underestimate the Power of Plants!

I don't believe that drinking this tea would cause problems, but when working with natural herbs one must always be aware of their extreme potency...

If you have experience with Essiac Tea, would you share?  All on this journey need to hear your story...

Because each story helps us Map the Journey... With Hope.  And Grace.

Always,
          Jane

Pit Stop Sunday... Life Lessons

Some lessons take a lifetime to learn.

Here are some we've been learning along the Journey...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because it's All Grace this day,

My Love Always,

                   Jane

Vitamins and Pancreatic Cancer

 The year was 1535, the winter brutal on the St. Lawrence River...  And Jacques Cartier was up to his hip boots in dying sailors.  A strange disease had taken hold on his ship and most of his men were in misery... bone-deep fatigue, frightening skin rashes, bleeding gums, partial paralysis... Many feared witchcraft, or spells cast on them by the native populace...

As ice froze his ship to the shoreline, so to Cartier's chances of making it back to France.  With no where else to turn he sought the natives help or risked losing his whole crew...

The locals boiled the needles of the tall White Cedar trees that lined the banks and made a tea for the crew to drink. Some feared it was poison, but the desperate few who drank it down almost immediately began the return to good health.

Jacques Cartier was astounded at the miraculous turn-around... Little did he know that he had just witnessed a simple, natural cure for Scurvy.  The needles of the cedar trees are chock full of Vitamin C.  And Vitamin C deficiency is what his sailors were experiencing.

It is estimated that between the years 1500 and 1800, scurvy claimed the lives of at least 2 million sailors.

And all for the lack of Vitamin C...

*  *  *  *  *

Today, could a cure for pancreatic cancer be as simple as a Vitamin Deficiency???

In yesterday's post on Immunotherapies, we learned there are clear advances in new trials to battle pancreatic cancer.  One of the things that these clinical trials has exposed is that the fight against pancreatic cancer isn't just a fight to kill the tumor, it's the fight against a tumor in a setting hardwired to resist treatment.

Let me explain a little better...

Scientists have found that pancreatic cancer tumors have an unusually thick layer of scar tissue, called the stroma, that builds up around the cancer and prevents drugs from getting through.  This scar tissue, or stroma, is also forming a barrier to the bodies own immune cells, preventing them from getting in and attacking the cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer is one hard to treat cancer... ok, I'm stating the obvious, but really, isn't cancer bad enough without learning that it's put up a fortress to protect itself?!

So, there are new trials on the horizon (and some that are actually in clinical trial) that are seeking to break through that barrier... with Vitamins!

2 Vitamins in Particular... A and D

Here's the scoop.

In a current study on Vitamin A, researchers found that pancreatic cancer patients are often deficient in Vitamin A.  In their trial, they restored the levels of Vitamin A, and they found that more T-Cells (these are the good, immune-busting guys from yesterday's post!) got past the stroma and into the cancer, effectively attaching the tumor from within.

Unfortunately, this study right now is being conducted in mice...not humans... but this is a step in the right direction.  They may be on to something...

The studies on Vitamin D are very similar.  Researchers are using a synthetic form of Vitamin D to knock down the barrier wall of cells surrounding the pancreatic tumors and opening a path for chemotherapy drugs to destroy the cancer.  The synthetic Vitamin D is called Paricalcitol, and has also been tested with good success in mice... but it has also advanced to the human testing stage with trials set to begin at Penn Medicine.

As an interesting side note, the reason that a synthetic Vitamin D is being used is because the natural occuring Vitamin D is "shredded" by the cancer and degrades too fast for it to be effective in knocking down the barrier wall.

Vitamins... Who knew?  Well, probably a lot of very wise people... like the indigenous tribe of locals that helped Jacques Cartier's crew recover from the deathly grip of scurvy.  It's just a tragedy that it took another 2 centuries for this "cure" to become widely used.  Over 2 million sailors lost during that time, when all they needed was the juice of a lemon or the taste of an orange...

Might Vitamins make a difference in Pancreatic Cancer treatment?  Is the Cure staring us in the face?  Vitamins... Would that they could, a whisper of prayer... the promise of Hope.

Knowing that we cannot allow centuries to pass before that cure is found!

In Grace, Always,
                         Jane