Just want to share with you the juicing formula I used for my mom to supplement her chemo treatment, as my mom had recovered very quickly from a stage 4 PPC/Ovarian Cancer. Can't prove whether the juice is indeed helping the treatment or it's just the case that my mom was reacting well to the drugs. But just want to share the juicing formula with everyone here hoping that it'll in some ways help you or your loved ones.
My mom was diagnosed stage 4 PPC/Ovarian Cancer (with unknown primary) in May this year. She first suffered from pleural effusion as the cancer has spread to her lungs. From the lung fluid extracted doctor found cancer cells and that's how the cancer was discovered.
Long story short, my mom first did a PET scan to locate the cancer cells and later did a debulking surgery to remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries and some cancer tissues lining the peritoneum.
She then, like many of you, started 6 rounds of paclitaxel, carboplatin, and avastin.
When her cancer was first discovered, blood test showed CA125 of over 2,000. After the debulking surgery it went down to around 400. After first round of chemo it dropped to 125, after second round it dropped to 25. And after the third round it was at 16. PET scan done after the third round also did not locate any cancer cells in my mom's body. Doctor said that the cancer cells might just be inactive so he recommended that my mom would finish the full 6 rounds of chemo and to remove the uterus for sake of prudence.
Since the date of the first diagnosis, we prepare juices for mom to consume everyday. My juicing formula for mom is chiefly based on a TED talk (ted.com/talks/william_li) and a book written by a Japanese doctor which is translated to Chinese (books.com.tw/products/00107.... According to the TED talk, some food can suppress the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting the angiogenesis around cancer cells. Berries have relatively good anti-angiogenesis property, so I make fruit juice blended with berries (e.g. blackberries, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry) every day. These berries can be bought in just any supermarkets. To help boost the production of white blood cells in cancer patient, the book recommends putting cabbage into the mix of fruit juice. Use a slow juicer to extract the water content of the cabbage and pour it into a traditional blender which is used to blend berries. You are absolutely free to throw in any other healthy fruits into the mix, e.g. I throw in carrot, lemon, apple etc. Add a small piece of ginger as the vegetable water is very "cold in nature" (that's a concept we understand from Chinese medicine) and it may upset the stomach. The blended juice may not taste all that good but it’s surely good to the body.
A friend of mine also recommended a fruit juice blended with beet root, apple (red or green), carrot, and lemon, saying that it has strong cancer fighting effect. So I occasionally make this juice for my mom using the slow juicer. Beet root helps increase production of white blood cell, so it should be helpful for cancer patients going through chemotherapy as a common side effect is depleted white blood cells which will lead to higher risk of infection.
I hope my sharing will help you or your loved ones going through this terrible sickness. Feel free to drop me any question and I'll try my best to answer.
Lastly, just want to thank the community here, through the discovery of my mom's sickness I kept coming here to read posts and understand things. It is wonderful that people here are all supportive and showing love to one another, although im sure many of you haven't even met each other. Here's my attempt to try to contribute to this wonderful community.
May God bless you all and heal you or your loved ones.
-Joshua
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Thank you for the information but can I ask what a slow juicer is? I live in the U.K. and never heard of this. I don’t actually own a juicer but donhave a blender
A slow juicer squeezes the liquid content out of fruits / vegetables instead of blending everything together. I use a Korean brand called Hurom but there are a lot of other more well known brands that make slow juicer. Put the word in Google and I'm sure a lot of results Wilm come out! Hope this helps.
Thank you Josh, All the information we can get is helpful , I've been having juices quite a lot many becourse I'm having trouble eating, my appetite is really bad so I'm hoping the juices will improve my strength and appetite..
Glad to read your mum is doing well..Take care Lorraine xx
I tend to think juice made with a slow juicer will help raise your appetite more as opposed to juice made with blender, as the fibre content in a blended juice may make you feel more filling.
Thanks Josh for these very helpful juicing tips. I hope your mother is doing well.
Another term we use for a slow juicer is a masticating juicer. I have a South Korean model called Samson and it’s exceptionally well made and comes with a recipe book also. The remaining fibre after juicing is very dry unlike that remaining after a centrifugal juicer. I sometimes add a little of the fibre to a cake to boost fibre intake.
Thanks for the information. I too have peritoneal cancer, that is inoperable and incurable. Numerous mets around my peritoneum, which is why they can't operate. Diagnosed Feb 2018. Second time I've had cancer. Done chemo twice, didn't really work the 2nd time, just kept them stable. Never giving up hope and keep fighting. Doing natural herbs and I'll try this juicing method aswell. Could you just blend the fruit lile a smoothie? Or does it have to be juiced? How is she doing? Is she in remission? Sorry for all the questions x
Sorry to hear that. Yes, just blend the berries like a smoothie. A slow juicer is used for the cabbage, the Extract is then added to the blender to make the smoothie.
My mom's ca125 is back to normal and PET scan didn't show anymore cancerous activities. But oncologist wants her to finish the full six course of chemo and take out the uterus just to play safe.
Please continue to stay positive, sister. May God bless you.
For information, we make the smoothie for mom twice a day. Watch out for the sugar content and don't add too much grapes or blueberry as I understand that they have higher sugar content than raspberry and blackberry.
Hi Joshua your moms journey is similar to my sister's journey who thankfully is doing well like your mom. Thanks for sharing the juicing info. Good for all of us. Is your mom on any maintenance medication now? Wishing you all the best. Nancy
thanks nancy! great news for your sister and i sincerely hope she keeps up the good work and stays this way for a very very long time! Oncologist has not officially declared my mom in remission cause her latest pet scan and ca125 test just indicated that she's apparently free of cancer. oncologist still wants my mom to finish the rest of the chemo sessions (4 down, 2 to go) and take out the uterus for lab test just to make sure she's really free of cancer.
My sister continued with 3 more rounds after being told she was cancer free. This was july after being diagnosed in january. We meet for her maintenance medication plan in 2 weeks. Did your mom undergo genetic testing? Are you in the states? Look up the aspirin regime and ovarian cancer. She is so lucky to have you.
i think that's the way to go and your sister's oncologist is doing the right thing being prudent. my mom's oncologist says there's a possibility that the cancer cells may just be inactive and may not have been dead so there's a need to finish the chemo.
kindly share any update regarding your sis' maintenance medication plan ! my mom did the BRCA test and it turned out negative so her cancer was not gene related.
sure will look it up! i reside in hong kong. and likewise, your sis is so lucky to have you too!
Joshua I sure will, my sister is a 4a. She came out brca negative. I will keep you posted. My sister is back to full activities exercise, landscaping, horseback riding andmore. We really do learn from each other..
Hi Joshua we met with my sisters gyn oncologist who decided to put her on a maintenance chemo plan. She will receive 1 drug avastin every 3 to 4 weeks and be evaluated every 6 months. She has no restrictions. Her doctor said that parp inhibitors are not as effective on BRCA negative women and avastin is more effective. She has been cancer free since may 16th, her surgery date. She was diagnosed in January and started treatment on feb. 2nd.
How is your mom? Oh she is going on the low dosage aspirin to combat oc. Have your mom look into that as well. Keep us posted. Hugs nancy
Dear Nancy, many thanks for the update! Hoping that the Avastin works magic for your dear sister who can remain cancer free forever! Thanks for asking about my mom. She just had a surgery to take out the uterus and other tissues which is more prone to recurrence. Rehabbing now and then will finish two last rounds of chemo to make it six in total. Still haven't researched into the Aspirin method yet . Like your sister, we will consult our oncologist after the chemo on the maintenance programme and keep you posted!
Please do so Joshua and tell mom to keep moving and ear protein to help the healing process. Similar track like my sister and I hope she continues to do well.
Oh that's wonderful news Joshua, thank you so much for your juice recipes. I wish your Mum all the best for the future. Lots of love from Leipzig, Christina xxx
I’m also a fan of juicing but have sadly let it slip over the last few months - your post had encorouged me to go back! Thank you Josh ( ps I add in some fresh turmeric when it’s available too!)
Good luck to your mum and what a great son she has! X
Hi Josh .... thank you very much for sharing this. You're right this is such a great informative & support community & I have learned a lot myself. Its strange as I've been having a real craving for berries this past couple of months and have been eating more than I have ever done! Maybe we should "listen" to our bodies more often. I will certainly start on your juicing formula.
Re the cabbage water content - it's funny when we were kids growing up in Scotland (now live in Australia) my Mum faithfully kept the cabbage water (after she had boiled the life out of it) for us to drink as it was healthy. Of course we used to spit it out as it tasted awful. Your writing just reminded me of that.
With inactive cancer cells - or cells that have become dormant, I was told that chemo has no effect on them - but I guess its a fine line to tell if they are active or not & the protocol is to finish the 6 treatments - particularly for initial diagnosis. I did the first time around (2015) although there was NED and my CA125 was down to 15 on the 1st day of chemo. I've just had a recurrence with surgery only to remove one tumour - no chemo this time as CA125 is 12 & again NED. Oncologist tells me no advantage in having chemo at this stage - better to hold off in case it is needed in the future. Not sure if this is what others have been told.
Will also watch the TED talk. They are usually really interesting.
Wishing your Mum all the best for the future & how lovely she has you! thanks again for sharing Josh xx Ruth
hi ruth, yes i believe so too our body has equipped with self healing capability so we should definitely listen to it for our benefit. and you're absolutely right that the cabbage water tastes awful and that's why mixing it into the blend of berries is a good idea! i sometimes add red grapes (seedless) into the blend as i understand that red grape (with its skin) has strong cancer fighting ability. re chemo's ineffect on inactive cancer cells - you're absolutely right too and my mom's doctor advises the same but it is indeed a fine line. my mom's CA125 went from 25 (post 2nd chemo) down to 16 (post 3rd chemo) so it seems that even when it is below 30 (normal threshold), there's still room to go down further.
thanks for your blessings ruth! may God bless you!
Hi Josh. I have to say that I totally agree with the contents of your mum's juice but for me now, and several others, there is the problem of blocked bowels and all the trauma that that brings. Consequently we have a very strict diet which rules out cabbage for a start, plus many of the other ingredients in your juice. However, when I return home from holiday my mission is to take our limited ingredients and create some healthy, appetizing and beneficial recipes. So, your recipe will feature in my information book for sure. Thank you for sharing and good luck and good health to your mum for the future. Kryssy x
thx kryssy!! sorry to hear your problem and i hope it goes away very soon! in the chinese community here in hong kong, we have a very commonly used soup which is known to increase / or at least keep steady the amount of white blood cells after chemo. the soup is made from beet root, peanut skin, and white mushroom. peel and slice a beet root, add a bowl of peanut skin and half a small box of white mushroom, then add approx 5 bowls of water and boil it for an hour. consume the soup (no need to eat the leftover) as appropriate. you can definitely give it a try.
Hi Joshua, thank you for your post. My grandmother is 89 next month and has just been diagnosed with peritoneal cancer stage 3b. Doc was saying that surgery with chemo carries alot of risk for her. I wanted to find out about alternative foods n juicing that can help her. I am in Singapore so juicing and soups are avail and would like to seek your advise what to take. Hope your mum is doing great! Thanks
Hi, thank you for the valuable information.I have a question. Does it have to be just juicing or do the juice and allow my mom to eat healthy meals like fruits and vegetables and lean meats?
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