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Celebrating with a visit for Canadian Ducoral

MateoBeach profile image
17 Replies

Just back from two weeks RV camping in BC Canada. Wonderful time with my wife and dog. While there I walked into a Pharmacy without a prescription and bought the 2-dose Ducoral vaccine for cholera and travelers' diarrhea. Cost $84 Canadian. Now have taken both doses and have zero expectation for it. Based upon the Swedish Cancer Registry Study (Retrospective review of records), in an ave 7 years of follow-up those who had received this vaccine had 43% lower PCA specific mortality and 47% lower overall mortality!! (Nature Sept 2018)

Of course it probably does not have any specific action against PCA. Rather it is most likely a marker for overall well-being and perceived health resilience: Those are the ones who would self-select to go to a developing country where they may be exposed to cholera or travelers' diarrhea. Not the sick or worried about their health who would choose to stay home.

Nevertheless, I was not going to not do this! Nothing to be left on the table in this fight. I consider it a celebration that I can still travel and enjoy so much activities.

ON Monday I will start on Degarelix, (my bicalutamide with dutasteride regimen failing after 4+ years.) I'll probably keep the dutasteride as it keeps adrenal androgens from being metabolized to the most active form. (DHT) Wondering if estradiol would be a good addition at this time.

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MateoBeach
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17 Replies
NPfisherman profile image
NPfisherman

I will be taking the Dukoral in the fall. Getting it shipped to me. Must be kept below 72 degress, so late fall/early winter shipping. I question whether Dukoral has an effect on mRNA of the PCa microbiome... Epigenetic treatment--can not find any studies to confirm--call it scientific intuition. I think it is money well spent IMHO based on the Swedish epidemiology study. Also may be good against Colorectal Cancer. Have a great day....

Don Pescado

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen

Think of it this way - who would have gotten the vaccine? Mostly healthcare workers traveling abroad - a population more tuned into medical care. I think you are right to have low expectations for it.

Schwah profile image
Schwah in reply to Tall_Allen

Sorry to belabor the point, but I really like this article nature.com/articles/s41467-... they found and overall 43% mortality and 47% overall decrease in mortality for PC patients who got the vaccine. Most importantly it appears they have attempted to adjust for common biases including “disposable income” and “age” which would be two of the primary concerns with the study. Please review the quotes below that I pulled out of the article. Given the limited risks associate with this vaccine and the huge potential value, it seems like a no brainer right ?

Key quotes from article.

“We found that patients with prostate cancer, who had used cholera vaccine after their cancer diagnosis, had a 43% decrease in prostate cancer mortality and a 47% decrease in overall mortality, as compared to patients who did not use cholera vaccine.”

“The decreased mortality rate associated with cholera vaccination was largely consistent, irrespective of the patient’s age or tumor stage at diagnosis, and other potential confounders, including disposable income”

“Common biases in these observation studies include immortal time bias, indication bias, health user bias, as well as no consideration of latency time windows between the use of non-anticancer drugs and outcomes23. In this population-based study, we have examined whether the use of cholera vaccine might be associated with a reduced mortality rate in patients with prostate cancer by taking into account all of the biases listed above”.

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen in reply to Schwah

No, they cannot adjust even for the single factor I mentioned (were they health workers?). Association is NOT causation. There were 89,142 men in the Swedish registry, but only 841 (1%) men who received the vaccine to prevent cholera. The first suspicion is "selection bias" - in what ways were the men who got the vaccine DIFFERENT from most men? I suspect there were more health care workers who are more attentive to catching diseases (including prostate cancer) early, more educated, and may have gotten a wide range of other therapies (e.g., chloroquine, an anti-malarial, has some effect on PC cells in lab studies). These suspicions are borne out in Table 2. Cholera vaccine users were:

- Younger

- Diagnosed earlier

- More educated

- Higher income

- Diagnosed at an earlier stage

- Less likely to have comorbidities (diabetes, heart disease, COPD, hypertension)

Even with statistical adjustment (which assumes significant overlap), the biases are way too large and unmeasured confounding variables (like PSA testing, chloroquine use, lifestyle, diet, smoking, health care workers) too important to draw any useful conclusions.

I would think that you can get it easily - just tell your PCP that you plan to visit a country with a high incidence of cholera. I don't think it's a good idea to ask your MO to endorse it.

Schwah profile image
Schwah

I read that study front to back and they claimed they adjusted for income, age and health. My MO isn’t convinced and he’s willing to go out of the box. . But seems like minimal risk and side affects , right ? No way to get in in the states ?

strummer profile image
strummer in reply to Schwah

I read that the FDA has approved an oral vaccine in 2016. Worth asking doctor about it.

strummer profile image
strummer

we like to travel to Puerto Vallarta. Had considered wintering there but not so sure now-since the pca diagnosis.

Have you had a good experience with medical care in Mexico for pca?

thx for sharing info about the vaccine. I read FDA approved of a single dose and may ask doctor about it.

GP24 profile image
GP24

"we like to travel to Puerto Vallarta. Had considered wintering there but not so sure now-since the pca diagnosis."

After the three-months Lupron injection you do not need to see a doctor for three months. The progression of the cancer is blocked no matter where you stay.

MateoBeach profile image
MateoBeach in reply to GP24

Yes Go! Do not miss out on anything that nourishes and brings fulfillment to your days and years. That is why we fight to stay alive and high-functioning. Say "Yes" to every positive opportunity for as long as you can.

MateoBeach profile image
MateoBeach

It is over the counter because of the high safety. So if you want to take it (just because) then you can call a legitimate Canadian pharmacy and ask them to ship it to you in the USA in a proper cold transport package. The Canadian pharmacy I use for many of my medications said they would be happy to do this. (People's Drug Canada 866 nine five five 0 three nine two, for one example)

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n

Better take a dose of Ducoral if you planning on visiting L.A. and/or S.F.....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 07/05/2019 5:43 PM DST

Sxrxrnr1 profile image
Sxrxrnr1 in reply to j-o-h-n

Would this be for the feces on sidewalks and streets,,,,or against the politicos lurking upon them? A cautious person might consider the whole state, not only for these cities.

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n in reply to Sxrxrnr1

You know... you've got a point there....... All California... They had a good thing going but boy oh boy did they screw it up....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Saturday 07/06/2019 12:54 PM DST

pilot52 profile image
pilot52 in reply to j-o-h-n

Same thing happed to Florida...a great state until all the New Yorkers came down!!!So keep your ass up there!!!! With warm fuzzy feelings....Blue Skies a Grounded Sky King.....

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n in reply to pilot52

Oh I guess you mean the snowbirds...I agree... For sure I'm keeping my ass in NYC.... Don't want to "live" in God's waiting room....

Good Luck and Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednescay 08/28/2019 10 17 AM EDT - Pinnes

George71 profile image
George71

We flew to Toronto several months ago and got Ducoral - it was a no brainer for me.

Jbooml profile image
Jbooml in reply to George71

Glad you worked it out George...sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

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