Eric - Thanks for the comments above. I am in thorough agreement with you especially your first paragraph. I just wish I could find the 20% of the things that work in the homeopathic world as per my previous comments above

As it sounds like you are someone who does not put something in your body without researching it first, can you expand on your comment "taking flush free Niacin, B6 and Sublingual B12) along with magnesium and a score of other supplements"?

Thanks - Steve

I a do most definitely advocate vitamins for health, particularly if it's not something readily available through diet! I don't believe it hs to be in IV form. But whatever floats your boat as long as your RO approves! Good luck!

Laz,

Sure I can, however let me preface this response by pointing out that I am not a Dr. If I were a Dr there's an 80% chance I'd be out of shape ( http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411404,00.html)AND know almost nothing about nutrition (as pointed out in the article referrenced in my first post on this thread). When exploring anything that I've posted here please do due diligence and work with your Dr, a nutritionist AND a pharmacist as Dr's and nutritionists/dietitians tend to know very little about drug interactions when it comes to vitamins and minerals(unless they have a couple of cool apps on their iPhone or iPad).

As I've shared I suffered from sever fatigue post treatment, which is very common, and had a hell of a time recovering from treatment and surgery. During treatment and surgery I lossed a total of 70 lbs, taking me from a muscular 210 lbs to a paltry 140 lbs. I was weak, tired and had a terrible time trying to function mentally and emotionally.


Due to complications and side effects from tx/surgery I cannot eat solids very well (missing teeth, half my face and tongue paralyzed, damaged swallowing mechanism from rads/ND and of course dry mouth) so the majority of my nutrition is liquid. To ensure(haha) that I could get the proper nutrients my body needed to rebuild I have to supplement.

Now I "eat" 6x per day using Ensure, blended foods, protien shakes, juiced fruits and vegies etc and track the calories and protien/carb/fat breakdown of my intake. I exercise (lifting, boxing, sprints, stretching etc...) and have a supplement regiment that I've put together with the help of some medical professionals and natureopaths.

My supplement strategy is to optimize energy levels and testosterone production as I suffer from hypogonadism (baseline T levels were 70 ng/dL where normal is between 260 ng/Dl and 1000 ng/dL) and suffered from severe mood swings when taking Androderm patches. I take B3(flush free Niacin), B6, B12 (sublingual), Ginseng (Korean), Zinc, Magnesium Aspartate, Calcium, Kola Nut extract (natural caffiene), CoQ10, Horney Goat Weed, Tribulus Terrestris, coconut oil(medium chain triglyceride, great for energy) and olive oil(long chain triglyceride, good fat, promotes testosterone production).

I also take Vitamin C, D3, tumeric, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Reservatrol (in wine form ) and a few others.

I do not take every one of these supplements everyday, they are on a specific schedule and I do have blood work done regularly to check my levels as some of these supplements can be toxic at certain concentrations in the blood.

When I started this regiment, my nutrition plan and a rigorous exercise routine in June of this year I was 145 lbs and could barely work a 4 hour day (this was after spending a month in bed after getting sick in April). At the end of October I was 175 lbs, had a 42" chest, 16" neck, 16.5" arms, and a 29" waste. My testosterone levels were 450 ng/dL and I was working an 80 hour week with fantastic energy levels (some of my thoughts and physical exploits during this time were chronicled in my blog on the Coping Anger/Fear forums, Letting the Healing Begin).

Now was it all due to the supplements? No but I do know how I felt and my energy levels without them and it's a stark contrast. Currently I'm a bit off as I'm coming off an injury I suffered when I switched up my training in late October when I was going to train for a marathon, I'm not built for distance running any longer due to a side effect from my surgery (drop foot). My weight is up slightly to 185 lbs and my waist is suffering(currently 31") from the lack of exercise the introduction to large amounts of eggnog (I can't help it, it's like crack to me!!) and a change in occupation and schedule.

Anyway, this may have been more then you bargained for in expanding my comment and for that I apologize, I like to read my comments and pretend I'm smart.

Eric

Okay, swapping vitamin stories is one thing. Actually touting totally bogus stuff like homeopathy (20% true on what planet? try zero)is quite another thing on the OCF forum. It's technically okay since you both acknowledge it's worthless for cancer TX, but homeopathy is worthless for anything.
Note for OCF reader: Quackwatch spells out in detail what is so wrong about homeopathy Homeopathy: the Ultimate Fake It even has typical woo woo responses from the fraudsters
It just goes to show that otherwise reasonable and nice guys can be fooled by fanciful titles and scientific gibberish.
Don't get me wrong, I actually think the ratio of what works in conventional medicine is more like only 50%. The so called cardiologists who are actually plumbers who put in stents instead of prescribing statins for at risk patients and the surgeons who do unnecessary prostate cancer surgery are just as bad as the homeopathic frauds if not worse.
At least it appears Laz will be mainlining real vitamins instead of their homeopathic counterparts, but the IV gimmick should be a dead giveaway of a charlatan.
You two are both strong and young, so it may be fine for you, but I've got to speak up so that others are not mislead in thinking that somehow homeopathy or the Meyer's cocktail have any type of validity at all in the real world.
Charm

Charm,

You crack me up, I love it! I follow Quackwatch myself, used it many times to get perspective on different issues and point me in the direction to find more information before forming my own opinions. I don't find it to be the authoratative end all be all however and do not take the opinions expressed on the site as complete truth all of the time. Like any information out there it has to be taken with the understanding that it may not share the whole picture. I try to get several sides to any issue
before forming my opinion and try to keep in mind that my opinion is just what it is, an opnion that is subject to change when more or better information is found.

Stephen Barrett M.D. is a trained "physchiatrist" (who hasn't practiced in many many years) and where he has a very impressive resume and did get an "honorary" membership to the American Dietetic Association and taught health education at Penn State (not going there) in the 1980's (almost 30 years ago...) I wouldn't take advice on nutrition and training from him. I've read his take on nutrition and vitamin/mineral supplements (Vitamins and Health Foods: The Great American Hustle co-authored by Prof. Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D.) and found exactly the opinions I thought I would from a skeptical psychiatrist and a professor who got his first degree in the 1940's (don't get me wrong though there was some good information and opinions in this book).

I would take my training and nutrition advice from someone who trains extreme athletes to perform at their peak and has their finger on the pulse of "modern" science in that arena. An example would be Susan Borjesson-Newman PHD (B.A. in Human Biology, Masters and PHD in Exercise Physiology) taught at U of Idaho and Wa. State University and does extreme training...sorry a shameless plug for a childhood friend.

Nutrition and supplements should never take the place of medical treatment but it does have more of a place then what Dr. Barrett would have you believe from his (in my opinion)limited view.

Always great to read your thoughts Charm and I love our discussions. Hope you are well my friend...oh and keep taking the Vitamin D3 supplements even though your dosage would be considered unnecessary by Dr. Barrett (http://www.quackwatch.com/03HealthPromotion/supplements.html)



Eric

If you go to sciencedaily.com and search on 'placebo effect' you will see several studies on this - very interesting reading. One article mentions that the 'medical ritual' of taking pills has an intrinsic value in some cases. From other articles I have seen, placebos show benefit to the patient in the areas of pain management, depression and fatigue. Interesting topic, and may suggest that those with differing viewpoints may both be right.

Oh and this is a quote from Dr. Barrett from the article I linked in my last post which shows that both he and I have some common ground

"People recovering from surgery or serious illnesses that have disrupted normal eating habits may also benefit from supplementation."

@ Laz: You mentioned that the IMRT/IGRT kit at Sylvester perhaps made a difference in making radiation treatment more tolerable for you. What is this latest development?

As a caregiver, I never delved into much research prior to radiation once I found out that we weren't working with an identifiable tumor and proton therapy was off the table.

Eric

The feeling is mutual brother. It is so refreshing to have someone on the OCF board who thrived in an environment where categorical judgements were tossed around like so many blows and where you learn to give as good as you get. I have to be so careful with some of the fragile OCF posters who take personal umbrage at having their incorrect and goofy belief systems challenged.
We are in agreement that Steve B and Quackwatch do not cut it as a nutritionist. But I would be remiss in not pointing out that nutrition and homeopathy have nothing in common. One is valid, the other is not. Your oral vitamin regime makes sense, the Meyers cocktail does not. On these points, Steve B and Quackwatch are right on the money.
I almost fell off my chair laughing about your Wonder Woman comment even though her bracelets were not copper

[quote]Her bulletproof bracelets were formed from the remnants of Athena's legendary shield, the Aegis, to be awarded to her champion. The shield was made from the indestructible hide of the great she-goat, Amalthea, who suckled Zeus as an infant. These forearm guards have thus far proven indestructible and able to absorb the impact of incoming attacks, allowing Wonder Woman to deflect automatic weapon fire and energy blasts. Diana can also slam the bracelets together to create a wave of concussive force capable of making Superman's ears bleed. she gained the ability to channel Zeus's lightning through her bracelets as well. Zeus explained to her that this power had been contained within the bracelets since their creation, because they were once part of the Aegis, and that he had only recently unlocked it for her use[/quote].

I'm so glad you have found ways to address the terrible ravages of our TX. However, please don't go over to the dark side of Homeopathy or doctors of philosophy in Natural Medicine woo woo.
Charm

Charm,

Where at one time there was an appeal to hugging trees, wearing paper pants and changing my name to Spirit Warrior it faded after the effects of the vaporizor wore off and I realized how much I enjoyed my life and opted for western medicine

I'm a little bummed that my wife's Wonder Woman outfit didn't come with the authentic she-goat hide bracelets, however I did buy the outfit from the fetish section of Amazon so OCF would get the 6% kickback. Giving back in everyway I can! I wonder if they have any she-goat hide stuff? I'll have to browse!