When I went in to my oncologist on March 23rd I told him of a book my sister had found about “radical remission” – how we need to avoid sugar to prolong our remission. My doctor said that he didn’t know about that particular book but said he could tell me that new studies are showing that keeping blood sugar low and steady helps prolong remission! He said to look up a good diabetes book or Atkins and avoid carbs!
Well, I did a radical effort for the next month. Studying everything I could on how to normalize blood sugar and finally started taking my own blood sugar 5-8x per day. I went in May 5th and the results were stunning! My kidney numbers while not even close to normal were the best he had EVER seen them (because cancer destroyed 75% of my kidneys). Creatinine was down to 1.45 from a high of 3.1
My cancer markers had been creeping up every month since my stem cell transplant in November 2012 – after one month of radical low carb they were down to what they were over a year ago!
I had been out of normal (high or low) in 14 categories (of regular CBC blood chemistry test) – after one month I was in normal on 4 categories (still out of normal in 10).
The nurse was impressed and when I told her how I did it she tried to get me in to see a dietician. My oncologist was impressed but told me NOT to see a dietician. He said, “whatever you are doing, keep doing it!” The one bummer is he felt I was doing so well, he said let’s wait 8 weeks before our next appointment. I really want to see my blood work and see if it has continued to improve. Next blood test is June 20 – then nephrologists on Monday June 23 and Oncologist June 30
So that is a new thing for me – I am trying to learn to eat this way permanently. I am finding recipes online. If anyone is interested, the first and most important book I read was called, “Diabetes solution” by Dr Richard Bernstein. He was diagnosed in 1945 with Type I diabetes and followed all the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association – and was getting worse and worse over 20 years. His wife was a physician and she got hold of one of the first blood glucose meters ever made and he started experimenting on himself. He has followed a radical low carb diet for the 60 years since then and he said many of his diabetes complications were reversed. It is hard – but you get used to it.
Very few people seem interested but if you do an internet search there are a lot of articles about ketogenic diets and cancer. I have been doing this about 9 weeks and now I don't take blood glucose readings, I test my ketones every evening once a day. I was 0.7 last night.
Forums
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antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
It is interesting that Dr. Gonzales, another alternative treatment doctor who is sometimes mentioned, says that the ketogenic diet doesn't work.
http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/dr-gonzalez-dismantles-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/
http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/dr-gonzalez-dismantles-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/
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dnalex - Name: Alex N.
- Who do you know with myeloma?: mother
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2007
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Hi Antelope1225,
Everyone is different so I hope the ketogenic diet works for you. I ate a low carb diet for years prior to diagnosis so it did not work for me. When relatives/friends were doing searches on myeloma and seeing references to "M protein" they would ask me if my eating a high protein/low carb diet (lots of chicken/fish and protein shakes) had something to do with me getting the disease.
Mark
Everyone is different so I hope the ketogenic diet works for you. I ate a low carb diet for years prior to diagnosis so it did not work for me. When relatives/friends were doing searches on myeloma and seeing references to "M protein" they would ask me if my eating a high protein/low carb diet (lots of chicken/fish and protein shakes) had something to do with me getting the disease.
Mark
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Mark
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Cathy,
Great news on you latest round of lab results.
Doctors have been saying for some time that getting blood sugar levels into normal ranges will benefit overall health cancer or not and most Americans eat way to much sugar. As you readings state, there is a clear link between excessive sugar consumption and diabetes, obesity, and increasingly evidence of heart disease, and who knows what else. I do not know if there is a direct link between sugar and cancer growth or if just putting ones overall health and immune system in a better state allows the body to fight cancer better, or maybe both, but I am not surprised by the results you have seen.
How “radical” is your radical low carb diet? Sometimes I see with these diets people take to it to extremes, if less sugar is good then no sugar or carbs must be better then, but I am not sure that it always works that way. I get that it can be very hard to avoid excessive and the wrong kinds of sugars even if not doing a “radical” low carb diet and just trying to get blood sugar into normal range. There is so much sugar added to our processed foods here in the USA. Just eating a normal amount of good carbs can seem like a radical diet in comparison.
I do not put much stock in Dr. Gonzales saying the ketogenic does not work. What does “work” mean to him? That it will not cure myeloma and he holds the cure? I do not know that anyone else expects a low sugar diet to be a cure for myeloma and the can stop whatever treatment they are already receiving, only that it may help to prolong remission and improve health.
Dr. Gonzales is the same guy who told another Beacon reader that he did not have much “faith” in Velcade. I think it would be foolish for anyone taking Velcade to treat myeloma to stop because Dr. Gonzales does not have faith in it. Velcade is not a cure for myeloma, no one claimed it was, but many people including that Beacon reader are getting good results from Velcade, much better than Dr. Gonzales therapy she tried.
Great news on you latest round of lab results.
Doctors have been saying for some time that getting blood sugar levels into normal ranges will benefit overall health cancer or not and most Americans eat way to much sugar. As you readings state, there is a clear link between excessive sugar consumption and diabetes, obesity, and increasingly evidence of heart disease, and who knows what else. I do not know if there is a direct link between sugar and cancer growth or if just putting ones overall health and immune system in a better state allows the body to fight cancer better, or maybe both, but I am not surprised by the results you have seen.
How “radical” is your radical low carb diet? Sometimes I see with these diets people take to it to extremes, if less sugar is good then no sugar or carbs must be better then, but I am not sure that it always works that way. I get that it can be very hard to avoid excessive and the wrong kinds of sugars even if not doing a “radical” low carb diet and just trying to get blood sugar into normal range. There is so much sugar added to our processed foods here in the USA. Just eating a normal amount of good carbs can seem like a radical diet in comparison.
I do not put much stock in Dr. Gonzales saying the ketogenic does not work. What does “work” mean to him? That it will not cure myeloma and he holds the cure? I do not know that anyone else expects a low sugar diet to be a cure for myeloma and the can stop whatever treatment they are already receiving, only that it may help to prolong remission and improve health.
Dr. Gonzales is the same guy who told another Beacon reader that he did not have much “faith” in Velcade. I think it would be foolish for anyone taking Velcade to treat myeloma to stop because Dr. Gonzales does not have faith in it. Velcade is not a cure for myeloma, no one claimed it was, but many people including that Beacon reader are getting good results from Velcade, much better than Dr. Gonzales therapy she tried.
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Eric Hofacket - Name: Eric H
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 01 April 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 44
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Eric,
I just used the argument by Dr. Gonzales to show that while the alternative treatment proponents claim that their method works, they also do a pretty job shooting down other alternative methods.
The bottom line is that there is no good data for any of these, and personally, I am not in favor of any restrictive or extreme diets. Our bodies are not designed that way.
I just used the argument by Dr. Gonzales to show that while the alternative treatment proponents claim that their method works, they also do a pretty job shooting down other alternative methods.
The bottom line is that there is no good data for any of these, and personally, I am not in favor of any restrictive or extreme diets. Our bodies are not designed that way.
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dnalex - Name: Alex N.
- Who do you know with myeloma?: mother
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2007
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
I think one has to question just how much the individuals weight and glucose swings might affect the outcome?
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Wayne K - Name: Wayne
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my sister who passed in '95
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 03/09
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Hi Eric - thank you for your thoughtful reply (and others too)
I don't expect this to cure me - but a couple more good years of life would be nice. I want to do whatever I can do to prolong my remission and slow down the progress of my cancer cells.
You make a good point about defining "radical" - I am only trying to keep my blood glucose in the normal range - which for everyone is 85-105. How each person has to do that is probably very individualized as Mark mentions. The reason I called it "radical" is because when my doctor told me to do a diabetic diet I found huge differences in recommended amounts of carbs and I found that for ME I could not eat as many carbs as many diabetic diets suggested - if I wanted to keep my glucose in range. I try for 6 carbs at breakfast and roughly 12 at each of the other 2 meals and those carbs are from vegetables, cheeses, cream cheese, nuts etc.
I try for roughly 4 oz meat or protein (each eggs or oz of cheese counts as a protein ) at each meal, and I try to eat healthy fats. The biggest emphasis for me is to increase vegetables. I try to make a good vegetable casserole plus a salad at dinner and eat vegetables at lunch too.
There is a guy at my work with Diabetes II who he is 6 ft 2inches and 240# and he can eat a lot more of every type of food than I can - including carbs. He can eat ice cream on his diabetic diet.
I am a middle aged woman, 5 ft 3" and 125# who exercises moderately, so I have to eat a more radically curtailed amount of carbs than many others in order to keep my blood glucose steady and low.
I just thought that it was something to tell others with multiple myeloma about in case they want to try it - we get our blood tested so often that if we had problems by this diet, we would know it quickly.
My oncologist would not have even told me about this diet if I had not asked! So, I thought it was worth telling other cancer patients.
I don't expect this to cure me - but a couple more good years of life would be nice. I want to do whatever I can do to prolong my remission and slow down the progress of my cancer cells.
You make a good point about defining "radical" - I am only trying to keep my blood glucose in the normal range - which for everyone is 85-105. How each person has to do that is probably very individualized as Mark mentions. The reason I called it "radical" is because when my doctor told me to do a diabetic diet I found huge differences in recommended amounts of carbs and I found that for ME I could not eat as many carbs as many diabetic diets suggested - if I wanted to keep my glucose in range. I try for 6 carbs at breakfast and roughly 12 at each of the other 2 meals and those carbs are from vegetables, cheeses, cream cheese, nuts etc.
I try for roughly 4 oz meat or protein (each eggs or oz of cheese counts as a protein ) at each meal, and I try to eat healthy fats. The biggest emphasis for me is to increase vegetables. I try to make a good vegetable casserole plus a salad at dinner and eat vegetables at lunch too.
There is a guy at my work with Diabetes II who he is 6 ft 2inches and 240# and he can eat a lot more of every type of food than I can - including carbs. He can eat ice cream on his diabetic diet.
I am a middle aged woman, 5 ft 3" and 125# who exercises moderately, so I have to eat a more radically curtailed amount of carbs than many others in order to keep my blood glucose steady and low.
I just thought that it was something to tell others with multiple myeloma about in case they want to try it - we get our blood tested so often that if we had problems by this diet, we would know it quickly.
My oncologist would not have even told me about this diet if I had not asked! So, I thought it was worth telling other cancer patients.
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antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Cathy,
It may take a radical effort to avoid eating exessive sugar and carbs with the processed foods we have in the USA, but I see nothing radical or extreme about what you are doing to keep you blood sugar levels in the normal range. I would not call this alternative medicine or a cure for cancer, it is just good dietary practice that has been advocated by your doctor and many others for decades.
Whether there is a direct link between your diet changes and the improvement in your remission may never be determined, but controlling blood sugar and eating healthier is known to have multiple benefits to health and lead to longer lives cancer or not, so it certainly seems worth doing. Good to see you are feeling good and I hope you continue to do well.
It may take a radical effort to avoid eating exessive sugar and carbs with the processed foods we have in the USA, but I see nothing radical or extreme about what you are doing to keep you blood sugar levels in the normal range. I would not call this alternative medicine or a cure for cancer, it is just good dietary practice that has been advocated by your doctor and many others for decades.
Whether there is a direct link between your diet changes and the improvement in your remission may never be determined, but controlling blood sugar and eating healthier is known to have multiple benefits to health and lead to longer lives cancer or not, so it certainly seems worth doing. Good to see you are feeling good and I hope you continue to do well.
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Eric Hofacket - Name: Eric H
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 01 April 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 44
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Hi Eric.
Just one more week until my blood test - can't wait! I have continued to eat very low carbohydrate diet and to read everything I can about research on ketosis to stop tumor growth. I test my own blood nearly every evening to check my ketone level. I try to keep my ketones over 0.5 (I bought Precision Xtra by Abbott). My ketones are usually 0.5-0.9 The ketone test strips are about $4 each - so I am putting money as well as effort into this.
Eating this way is getting easier as I get more recipes and get used to it. Obviously, eating this way is not appealing to very many people, but I will let you all know what my cancer markers are after my appointment on June 30 (It takes at least a week to get results back for my light chains so I have to have my blood test 7-10 days before my appointment).
The most recent research I have read shows that the essential thing is not just low glucose levels. It could be the low insulin and it could be the ketones, but the cancer patients who get into and stay into ketosis have generally had their tumors (all sorts of cancers) stop growing.
Just one more week until my blood test - can't wait! I have continued to eat very low carbohydrate diet and to read everything I can about research on ketosis to stop tumor growth. I test my own blood nearly every evening to check my ketone level. I try to keep my ketones over 0.5 (I bought Precision Xtra by Abbott). My ketones are usually 0.5-0.9 The ketone test strips are about $4 each - so I am putting money as well as effort into this.
Eating this way is getting easier as I get more recipes and get used to it. Obviously, eating this way is not appealing to very many people, but I will let you all know what my cancer markers are after my appointment on June 30 (It takes at least a week to get results back for my light chains so I have to have my blood test 7-10 days before my appointment).
The most recent research I have read shows that the essential thing is not just low glucose levels. It could be the low insulin and it could be the ketones, but the cancer patients who get into and stay into ketosis have generally had their tumors (all sorts of cancers) stop growing.
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antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Ketogenic diet and multiple myeloma
Hi Cathy,
So happy to hear this seems to be working so well for you!
Keep us posted about your appointment. I am anxious to hear your current results
Keep up the good work!
Kim
So happy to hear this seems to be working so well for you!
Keep us posted about your appointment. I am anxious to hear your current results
Keep up the good work!
Kim
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Jerseygyrl - Name: Kim
- Who do you know with myeloma?: My Loved One
- When were you/they diagnosed?: February 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 58
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