This is a long post, but I tried to be concise! Hey after all you asked for it!
Let’s summarize where I come from before I dive into what I am doing for my health
First, I must say that I am fully in favor of the standard of care (SOC). Everything I do outside of SOC is because there's no proven harm to SOC by exploring these additional approaches. I am alive and well thanks to triplet therapy and an excellent medical oncologist who arranged for Bayer to supply Nubeqa for free when triplet therapy was still unapproved in Italy. I’ve experienced great results with minimal side effects, and I hope these results last.
I’m also aware of big pharma's practices and consider it an unavoidable mix of good and bad. That said, thousands of “small pharma” companies now compete with big pharma, making it much harder to hide cures compared to 20 years ago. Plus, in my experience, one thing that can challenge money is ego. I believe any scientist who discovers a cure for cancer would want recognition (but that’s just my opinion).
As an engineer, the concept of marginal gains is clear to me. If every alternative approach I try offers even a 1% improvement in progression-free survival, I’m happy. I believe we are close to making these diseases chronic. If you're interested, check out tools like AlphaProteo and AlphaFold to see the speed of current advancements.
Ah, before I forget, cancer is complex, there are supplements and food that are recommended for stage 1 that could be detrimental for people with a stage 4, metastatic vs non metastatic and so on...so be always careful.
Natural Alternatives
I initially explored natural alternatives to strengthen my body, not to fight cancer directly, but to free up my immune system to focus solely on cancer and keep my heart healthy. This approach also supports future SOC treatments.
I generally disregard in vitro studies because of their contradictions. Even in vivo studies, while better, often don’t apply directly to humans. But they still offer proof of concept in a complex system (though if we were like mice, we wouldn’t have this problem to begin with!).
First Things First: Exercise
From the beginning, my MO—who is also a personal trainer—emphasized exercise (a component now being considered part of SOC for cancer). Resistance training is key, but don’t neglect cardio. If you’re on ADT, daily jumping exercises help counter osteoporosis.
If you're interested, I can share my personal training program. Exercise boosts the immune system, releases myokines, improves mood, and combats cardiovascular issues and osteoporosis caused by ADT.
If you can’t lift weights: Power walking works wonders.
If you can’t walk: Consider an EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) machine—they're effective and affordable.
I work out 5-6 times per week: 3-4 heavy workouts and 2-3 HIIT sessions, 60-90 minutes each. I used to work out 3-4 times weekly, and while increasing the frequency feels less enjoyable (dang!), it’s medicine!
I do not take SARMS or Creatine till the clinical trials that are checking their potential influence on bone metastasis will say if they are secure or not.
Hydration
Some theories suggest benefits of hyper-hydration. While I’m unsure about that, proper hydration helps flush out chemicals and supports cellular health.
Diet and Microbiome
After extensive research, I follow a vegan + fish diet, though I don’t believe it’s the only way. I’ve eliminated whole eggs (egg whites in moderation) due to high choline content. Even organic meat and dairy contain hormones/antibiotics. Fatty fish, like salmon, is way better but still not perfect unless wild-caught.
Common dietary guidelines for health
These are recommended by basically every healthy diet on the planet, no matter if vegan, paleo or whatever, so they must be important if they are common to such a variety of diets:
- No sugar (the #1 killer)
- Little to no alcohol (processed like sugar)
- Minimal processed food
- Few refined carbs
NOTE: 90% adherence is fine. Exceptions, like a birthday cheesecake, won’t ruin progress—bad habits do.
Before we reach the supplements / diet specification, remember that I have a general blood work that includes renal and liver functions, ALP, electrolytes and so on every 28 days and one that includes vitamin D, B12, Iron and so on every 90-120 days. Keep yourself monitored.
MICROBIOME
For gut health (and remember that guys who discovered the importance of microbiome for our immune system won a Nobel prize):
- Eat a wide variety of fiber-rich veggies.
- Include good fats (extra virgin olive oil, avocado, seeds, nuts,...).
- I aim for 25-30 types of veggies daily—small additions count (e.g., salad + basil + oregano + black pepper = 4 types).
I used to follow 16:8 intermittent fasting, which worked well. On Nubeqa I must eat at least something every 12 hours, so I now am trying a 12:12 fasting as a habit and a 5-day fast-mimicking diet every 4 weeks (inspired by Valter Longo).
During these 5 days, I eat 400 kcal/day (high in good fat, low protein, moderate carbs), reaching ketosis by day 3.
I schedule this 1 week before my Zometa infusion to avoid skewed blood test results. I also take:
2000 IU vitamin D + calcium (for bones)
Vitamin K2 (to direct calcium to bones)
I double these doses for a week post-Zometa.
Iron Loading + Artemisinin
2 days before fasting:
Friday & Saturday: 200% recommended daily iron intake
Saturday night: 200 mg artemisinin (empty stomach)
Next 7 days (during my fasting days + 2 extra days): 200 mg artemisinin, twice daily (empty stomach)
Artemisinin shows promise as a ferroptosis inducer in vivo, binding to iron abundant in cancer cells.
Note: Iron supplementation can fuel cancer, I discourage their use outside this small window for artemisnin
During this fasting week, I take ONLY:
Fish oil (2g, morning, forgotten the EPA/DHA amount)
Melatonin (4 mg, evening)
I avoid antioxidants during this period to maximize oxidative stress on cancer cells. I exclude also vit D, K2 and Calcium for this artemisinin week.
Routine Supplements
Morning
- Novasol curcumin (500 mg) (novasol it's not a brand but a proven delivery system to make it more bioavailable)
- Resveratrol (500 mg) once per day
- Green tea extract once per day
- Quercetin once per day
- Fish oil (2g) once per day
- Take fish oil first, then others (they are fat-soluble) 10 minutes later.
Evening
- Sulforaphane (1-2x/day empty stomach)
- Curcumin (500 mg)
- Melatonin (4 mg: 2 mg fast-release + 2 mg slow-release) right before sleeping
Occasional supplements: spirulina, grape seed extract, silymarin, moringa...I am a firm believer in diversity.
Fiber Intake
Getting 40-50g of fiber daily is tough even for vegans. I add:
3-5 tsp organic rye/wheat bran (in oats, polenta, etc.)
Glucomannan / konjac during fasting for fullness and microbiome variation.
Anything else? Just ask! 😊