Another update!
Major breakthrough this week! After swallowing nearly 3,000 pills over the last 3 months, I have finally nailed the technique so no more choking or gagging! You guessed it - another slow news week!
It has now been over 2 weeks since the final round 1 treatments and we are starting to experience some improvements in side effects. The 3 primary side effects are nausea, fatigue, and sketchy short-term memory. The nausea seems to be slowly improving as I haven't used any medication for it in over a week. My energy levels seem to be rising as well, as more daily exercise and household tasks are getting done.
Short-term memory - a little progress but still quite frustrating! But it can be part of an effective exercise program as I can walk across the house or downstairs to get something, only to forget the intent of my journey! Upon retracing my steps I am often reminded of the purpose and set off again! A blessing?????
Another significant improvement has been an increased level of confidence in my immune system, which has led to increased socializing and visiting.
My next scheduled appointment with the Cross is on February 28 with Dr. Easaw, who will oversee the next round of Chemotherapy, which we expect to start in early March, maybe after my birthday on the 2nd!
We continue to experience your love and care in so many ways and are thankful! Interestingly, I began writing this post on Valentine's Day and was struck by how much we have felt deep love and care in the last months, both from God and from His servants! We are thankful for this and express that thanks on a daily basis.
As mentioned in an earlier post, we are sharing our alternative treatments in the hope and prayer that they may benefit others who come up against the beast. This diligent work carried out by our kids has been a most beautiful gift of love! We are so thankful both for their work and also the clear hand of God in preparing the work for them, as they were guided to many of these areas well in advance of my diagnosis. God’s hand is so clear!
Thanks to Erin and Derek for summarizing the alternative treatments.
Erin Hollingsworth - youngest daughter, married to Matthew
Since the initial diagnosis, our family has decided not to take any of this lying down. So after many of us doing multiple hours of research, we came up with a number of “alternative” ways to kill this cancer and prevent it from coming back.
Seeing a naturopath
Major breakthrough this week! After swallowing nearly 3,000 pills over the last 3 months, I have finally nailed the technique so no more choking or gagging! You guessed it - another slow news week!
It has now been over 2 weeks since the final round 1 treatments and we are starting to experience some improvements in side effects. The 3 primary side effects are nausea, fatigue, and sketchy short-term memory. The nausea seems to be slowly improving as I haven't used any medication for it in over a week. My energy levels seem to be rising as well, as more daily exercise and household tasks are getting done.
Short-term memory - a little progress but still quite frustrating! But it can be part of an effective exercise program as I can walk across the house or downstairs to get something, only to forget the intent of my journey! Upon retracing my steps I am often reminded of the purpose and set off again! A blessing?????
Another significant improvement has been an increased level of confidence in my immune system, which has led to increased socializing and visiting.
My next scheduled appointment with the Cross is on February 28 with Dr. Easaw, who will oversee the next round of Chemotherapy, which we expect to start in early March, maybe after my birthday on the 2nd!
We continue to experience your love and care in so many ways and are thankful! Interestingly, I began writing this post on Valentine's Day and was struck by how much we have felt deep love and care in the last months, both from God and from His servants! We are thankful for this and express that thanks on a daily basis.
As mentioned in an earlier post, we are sharing our alternative treatments in the hope and prayer that they may benefit others who come up against the beast. This diligent work carried out by our kids has been a most beautiful gift of love! We are so thankful both for their work and also the clear hand of God in preparing the work for them, as they were guided to many of these areas well in advance of my diagnosis. God’s hand is so clear!
Thanks to Erin and Derek for summarizing the alternative treatments.
Erin Hollingsworth - youngest daughter, married to Matthew
Since the initial diagnosis, our family has decided not to take any of this lying down. So after many of us doing multiple hours of research, we came up with a number of “alternative” ways to kill this cancer and prevent it from coming back.
Seeing a naturopath
My Dad starting seeing Grant at Healthworks Nutrition in Sherwood Park after his sister-in-law, Arlene, suggested him. He has been SO informative and helpful. He looks at my Dad’s blood through a blood cell analysis and makes suggestions on supplements through the information he finds out there. My Dad continues to go to Grant every two weeks and every time we find out more valuable information! Here’s a link to tell you more about the blood cell analysis done at Healthworks: http://healthworksnutrition.ca/live-cell-analysis/
Doug: “Grant is the one behind most of the pills! But I still really appreciate his support and help. Fascinating stuff!”
Using essential oils
I can’t quite decide which of these last two alternatives I’m more excited about. The information we find out from Grant is SO amazing but I’ve been using essential oils for a couple of years now and am a believer in how they work, so this one is also very exciting to me! We were told to use Frankincense essential oil (FEL) by my sister’s sister-in-law’s friend who had a grandpa who used it during his cancer treatment. My Dad doesn’t just use any FEL though - he uses the Indian frankincense called Boswellia Serrata. My Mom rubs the FEL (diluted with coconut oil) on his big toe every night before bed. Why the big toe? Grant told us that would be the best place as it is the reflexology point for the brain. Also, the feet are always the best places for using essential oils. The University of Leicester in the UK has done extensive research on this topic and has found positive results. They say that FEL can help the cancer cells that are unresponsive to radiation be eradicated. While talking to Grant about FEL, he also suggested we use Rose essential oil (REL) for its healing benefits. He used words like “high frequency” in relation to REL (getting the blood to be more active) and we just took his advice and ordered some online (VERY hard to find 100% pure rose oil in stores).
Doug: “I actually get a daily full foot massage from Loretta with the oils. My feet have never been more pristine! A beautiful daily gift! Thanks Loretta!”
Drinking wheatgrass shots
Doug: “I actually get a daily full foot massage from Loretta with the oils. My feet have never been more pristine! A beautiful daily gift! Thanks Loretta!”
Drinking wheatgrass shots
I can’t even remember how I stumbled across the use of wheatgrass with cancer but my Dad jumped right on board! Growing your own wheatgrass takes A LOT of space - especially when you need to drink it every day. So after looking into a couple options, and thinking that my parents probably didn’t want to take up a whole room in the basement dedicated to growing the stuff, I found a company that flash freezes and ships their wheatgrass straight to your door. This is the company we order from: https://www.dynamicgreens.com/en-ca/
It’s amazing to have this frozen wheatgrass shipped right to your door in an insulated box! My Dad often adds the frozen wheatgrass to his green smoothies as an easy way to get the greens in. Also, this wheatgrass tastes MUCH better than what you’ve probably heard wheatgrass tastes like. Here’s a real-life example of how wheatgrass helped a terminal cancer patient: http://naturalsociety.com/wheatgrass-cure-74-year-olds-stomach-cancer/
Doug: “Still tastes terrible!”
Derek Boonstra - married to eldest daughter, Tara
Ketogenic Diet
One of the most significant lifestyle changes Doug has made since his cancer diagnosis is the ketogenic diet, which he has been strictly following since December 11, 2016. The ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carb diet. Ideally, Doug should be getting 80% of his calories from fat, 15% from protein, and 5% from carbohydrates. To put the difficulty of this diet into perspective, if you have a basal metabolic rate (BMR) of 2,000 calories, you should only be consuming 100 calories of carbs. At 4 calories per gram of carbs, this is only 25g of carbs per day! Do you like bananas? Too bad! One banana has 27g of carbs!Doug: “Still tastes terrible!”
Derek Boonstra - married to eldest daughter, Tara
Ketogenic Diet
The reason the ketogenic diet is important for Doug is because it is capable of starving cancer cells. The cells in our bodies (including cancer cells) derive their energy primarily from sugar (i.e. glucose). However, cancer cells can ONLY derive energy from glucose, while all other cells can adapt to derive energy from ketones. The ketogenic diet puts your body into a state of nutritional ketosis, where your body begins producing ketones as an energy source, rather than glucose.
We are able to monitor Doug’s ketosis level using urine test strips, which we found to be somewhat inaccurate. We now use a blood glucose meter with ketone test strips to make sure Doug is on track. He’s getting used to having his finger stabbed multiple times a week.
Another difficult part of this diet is that there are no cheat days allowed. Slipping out of ketosis could put Doug at risk of refueling the cancer cells with the glucose they need.
My favourite resource for all things ketogenic diet related has been Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, who’s been a guest on the Tim Ferris podcast three times. The links are included below for anyone that dares brave all 6+ hours of podcasts:
A few weeks after Doug had been doing the ketogenic diet, a member of our community, John Vander Vinne, reached out to us to recommend the ketogenic diet. John has had multiple brain tumours, and is currently on the ketogenic diet and has seen his tumours shrink. We were so thankful to hear from John as he filled us with hope, and we really appreciated the advice and tips he offered.
Doug: “This has been a wonderful addition to the treatment regimen!”
Intermittent Fasting, Autophagy
Not only has Doug drastically changed WHAT he eats, he has completely overhauled WHEN he eats. While the ketogenic diet will put you into a state of nutritional ketosis, it is possible to enter into ketosis through intermittent fasting (think of your body using up its fat storage if it isn't getting sufficient energy). They are different forms of ketosis, and they complement each other well when allowed to synergize.Doug: “This has been a wonderful addition to the treatment regimen!”
Intermittent Fasting, Autophagy
Intermittent fasting also has very positive side effects when done during chemotherapy. According to Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, “being in a state of fasting ketosis can sensitize the tumour to the damaging effects of the chemo and enhance your healthy cells resistance against the toxic effects of the chemo therapeutic agent."
Lastly, intermittent fasting causes your body to undergo a process called autophagy, which literally means “eating oneself”. Autophagy is our body’s way of cleaning house. When we refrain from putting more food in our bodies, we give our body a chance to effectively use up what’s already inside and cleanse any unwanted cells or toxins. This can occur after only 12 hours of fasting. The longer the fast is, the more effective the autophagy. Doug has been aiming for an 18 hour fast every day.
The 2016 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his work with autophagy. While the benefits of fasting aren’t anything new, the acknowledgement of it by the Nobel group has brought autophagy forward into the spotlight, and will hopefully help bring it to mainstream medicine with some further research.
Doug: “The Ketogenic Diet has made the 18 hour fast quite painless as I don’t experience the energy rushes or lags associated with carb/sugar diets. But I do miss pasta and donuts! and wine! and bourbon!!”
Rebounder (Lymphasizing)
It is also very important for Doug to remain active, or at the very least, mobile. He has been going for late night walks with Loretta, when the weather permits. However, there have been some very cold stretches (Doug doesn’t have as much body fat to keep him nice and warm anymore), and it is often very slippery, so the walks haven’t been a daily activity.
I thought it would be good for Doug to get into the habit of using a rebounder (mini trampoline) for 15-20 minutes a day. It is a very low impact, safe exercise, and will be particularly beneficial on days where chemo symptoms may be taking their toll, and energy levels may not permit more strenuous activities. Using a rebounder is one of the most effective methods of kicking your lymphatic system into gear, which is responsible for cleansing the body of unwanted toxins. Similar to autophagy, lymphasizing will help clear the body of residual toxins from chemotherapy as well as dying cancer cells. It also helps strengthen healthy cells in their fight against cancer cells. There are so many benefits of using a rebounder, some of which are nicely summarized in this link:
Doug has quite a few new staples in his diet that are known to be cancer fighting foods or beneficial for brain health specifically. Some of these include spinach, garlic, broccoli, and walnuts which Doug eats multiple times per week. One item that Doug has been taking EVERY day, and has probably secured me a position as least favourite son-in-law, is turmeric. Doug has been mixing 1 tablespoon of turmeric into water for a pretty nasty, pre-dinner “turmeric shot.” Through all our research we found that turmeric was one of the most commonly recommended cancer fighting foods, with so many other benefits. This article highlights the many different ways turmeric is beneficial, especially in battling cancer:
http://www.turmericforhealth.com/turmeric-benefits/turmeric-for-cancer
Doug: “Yikes! The daily “shot” isn’t any fun at all but I still love Derek! He is also a turmeric shooter as well!”
Doug: “Yikes! The daily “shot” isn’t any fun at all but I still love Derek! He is also a turmeric shooter as well!”
- Doug
P.S. Tara here. We have also been having weekly family meetings after Sunday dinner since my Dad’s diagnosis, as suggested here:
We’ll discuss the schedule for the upcoming week, chat about how best to meet the needs of family members for that specific week, and end the meeting with each person listing “two flowers and a weed”. It has been so great to have a time set aside for us to talk as an entire family. And it has been especially wonderful to see how many flowers there are each week. We are surrounded by blessings.
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