Can prostate cancer be cured without radiation or surgery? (By holistic medicine, exercise and destressing, et?
My PSA was 3.2, my Gleason score was 6 and my tumor score was T1C. All in my favor. I'm 64 and in great physical shape - except for the prostate cancer. The side effects of the treatment are frightful. I don't smoke and haven't for the last 44 years.
I hate to surrender "quality of life" merely to gain a few years when I might be killed in a car crash or die from something else anyway. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Cancer - 1 Answers
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1 :
I don't know.
2 :
My father was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer (meaning it had already spread to his bones) in May of 2000. Because it had already spread, he was treated with Casodex and Lupron Depo (hormone therapy). He survived for more than seven years on these treatments and his prostate cancer was fairly advance (his PSA was 250 when he was diagnosed and the meds brought it down to >1). Sadly, he lost his battle with cancer in January 2008. HOWEVER, my friends dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the same time. His was caught early and he had the surgery. He is still healthy as a horse. If you've caught it early, I highly recommend the surgery.
3 :
Dean Ornish was able to reverse prostate cancer in 49 patients with life style change and few supplements. He studied 93 men who decided not to have conventional treatment and divided them into two groups. One group didn’t change their diet or lifestyle. The other group made the comprehensive lifestyle changes that Dr. Ornish describes in his new book and that were the basis of his work in reversing heart disease. He published his dramatic finding that the PSA levels (a marker of cancer) went down in the lifestyle change group but went up in the control group -- and that prostate cancer growth was reduced by 70 percent. And after 4 years only 6 of the lifestyle change patients needed more aggressive conventional therapy, compared to 21 of the control patients. Conclusion : Intensive nutrition and lifestyle changes may modulate gene expression in the prostate. Understanding the prostate molecular response to comprehensive lifestyle changes may strengthen efforts to develop effective prevention and treatment.
4 :
Jim, I almost want to say the same as the "points gatherer" who answered "I don't know" because in truth, I have been treated for prostate cancer but never having tried the holistic approach, I guess I probably SHOULD say I don't know. I believe you are in what was described to me as the "watchful waiting" group. My cancer was bi-lateral and had spread to the surrounding soft tissue, confirmed by biopsy. Since my cancer was already outside the prostate and my PSA while not high, was higher than yours at 6.5, and involved both sides of the prostate the doctor felt it was showing signs of becoming aggressive. My brother had been diagnosed a year earlier with only one side involved and his had not gotten outside the prostate. I elected for the same treatment he opted for -brachytherapy followed by external beam radiation. I also had the pre-seed implant shot of testosterone suppressing Lupon. That's where our experiences parted ways. He had minimal after effects, was playing 18 holes of golf again within months (still is -and walking, no cart), and has no sign of the cancer in his follow-up PSA tests. I have had a nightmare of all of the side effects they list as "only affecting 2-3% of patients. Incontinence, impotence, severe edema both legs, massive weight gain, developed deep vein thrombosis and type 1 diabetes. Who knows if all of that is related to the radiation treatments - all I know is I didn't have any of it before that Lupon shot started me off. My life has become a life of doctors and hospitals. I'm still alive and grateful for it but there is definitely a quality loss. If I had to do it over knowing what I know now? I still don't know. My cancer was showing aggressive tendencies and I might have stopped after getting the seed implants but we don't get "do-overs" so there is no sense in me dwelling on it except to share what I have learned with someone like you. Your cancer certainly sounds like the "watchful waiting" type where you will go of old age before the cancer gets you but ultimately the tough decision is going to be yours. If it were me, and I can't say it strongly enough - it ISN'T me, it's you, I would hold off and do the watching -very, very closely.
5 :
The treatment for prostate cancer has been controversial for many years. With most cancers we know if it shows certain characteristics what the best treatment is, but this is not so with prostate cancer and the man’s lifestyle always has to be taken into consideration. I deal with cancer everyday and attended many meeting s along with the doctors I work with and my ex-husband is a urologist. So I can tell you, we do not know of any holistic ways to treat this. Everything about your cancer is in your favor, except your age, you’re a little young for prostate cancer and this makes deciding on treatment so difficult. The way I see it, if you decide on watchful waiting you might as well try a holistic approach during this time, as it couldn’t hurt. The only things I know that may be helpful in this regard is there appears to be a link with an increased intake of vitamin A and a decreased intake of vitamin D. Some studies have shown altered estrogen androgen metabolite levels may lead to prostate cancer and exposure to cadmium may also be a risk factor for it. If you should decide on surgery I would go with a robotic surgery. It is less invasive, has a faster recovery and it is more precise, decreasing the risk for ED. You should also get another opinion or two to help you decide and I suggest you get one from a teaching facility as they are involved in research and most likely have the equipment to do a robotic surgery. You may also want to consider proton therapy. I have included a link for you to read about it. Best wishes. http://www.protons.com/proton-therapy/conditions-treated/pelvis.html?utm_source=Internal%2Bsearch&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Internal%2BLink
6 :
No, prostate cancer cannot be cured by "holistic medicine, exercise and destressing," and anyone who has already lived for 64 years ought to have enough common sense to know that already. You should discuss your (very legitimate) "quality of life" concerns with your doctor, and decide on an acceptable treatment regime; 64 is awfully young to just "give up" and accept that something is going to kill you! If you were 94, it might make sense to avoid treatment, since old-age would kill you before the cancer, but 64? Talk to the doc...
7 :
Hello, I am from Romania, as long I can remember the elders in my little town are sitting on the front porch eating sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds -fresh no shells. This is the kind of life we were offered...I never heard that any of those old or young men complained about prostate cancer..recently I read in a book (from my library; God's Medicine Is Best by Linda Wise) that those seeds are natural medicines to fight off prostate cancer.. Good Luck, just try the seeds friend!
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