Alternative/Additional treatment

[Vilinew]

Hello, adies.

I just want to ask if anyone has tried alternative/additional treatment, like special diet, nutrition therapy? Has anyone of you visited a nutritionist to help go through the healing process? Any recommendations?

Thank you very much!

[Lyndy]

Hi Vilinew, I haven’t done anything very specific apart from eating well and exercising when I can. I walk a lot, not very far but every day. I went to see a nutritionist at one stage but she just told me what I already knew. There are pre treatment courses that are becoming popular, just trying to get people as fit as possible before surgery etc and now I think about it I went to a gym session for cancer patients after debulking.

I think you probably need to do something that appeals to you that you will keep up with x

[Vilinew in reply to Lyndy]

Thank you very much for your feedback! Wishing you health!

[Catfeeder]

Hi Vilinew

Ovacome run some good exercise classes online and some gentle relaxing classes too.

There is also a trial they can get you in touch with that is just for a few weeks and they give you exercises for mindfulness to see if it helps with fatigue etc, and some ladies are selected for physical exercises too, I can recommend all of these

I tried the nutritionist route post chemo as I had gained 8.5kg with my steroids! I found very expensive options and plumped for buying a book by Dr Greger, who also

Did frequent email updates on food topics which I found interesting.

I’ve adjusted my diet, found beans amazing and have lost all of my additional weight now over 7 months, and hoping to lose a little more now too.

Good luck with everything you try x

[Vilinew in reply to Catfeeder]

Thank you very much for your feedback! Wishing you health!

[Ruebacelle]

But of course. We are what we eat. But also I see a physical therapist an osteopath and e xerxcise every morning. Also reiki.

[Vilinew in reply to Ruebacelle]

Thank you very much for your feedback. Wishing you health!

[organicinna]

I recommend Tai Chi very relaxing and not too vigorous )) Healthy diet wont hurt anyone. I had a telephone appointment with Royal Marsden dietitian. She simply stopped calling me, because I knew more than her apparently LOL Like all ladys here saying walk , walk , walk every day while you can xxx

[Vilinew in reply to organicinna]

Thank you very much for your feedback. Wishing you health!

[Sashay2020]

Hi there, Vilinew. I’m on my first recurrence. I’m stage four now, high grade epithelial OC and BRCA negative. I’m 71. Finished second line chemo a couple of months ago. I had to interrupt chemo because it was causing severe gut pain. I decided to try mistletoe injections which are common in Germany. I do not see mistletoe as a cure, but it seems to have stopped the gut pain, which meant I was able to continue the chemo. Mistletoe is not FDA approved and is being trialed at Johns Hopkins medical. I let my oncologist know I planned on trying mistletoe. He had no comment. I’m reading Dr Valter Longo’s book, The Longevity Diet. Very interesting studies. I’m doing time restricted eating, which means I limit consumption of food to an eight hour window each day. I still eat plenty of food. Best wishes from New Orleans Louisiana

Sashay

[Vilinew in reply to Sashay2020]

Thank you very much for your feedback. I wish you good luck with the treatment!

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Hi there Vilinew

Thank you for your post. I can see that several members of the forum community have shared their experiences with you which I hope has been helpful.

If you're interested in Ovacome's gentle strengthening exercise classes that Catfeeder has mentioned above, there is more information available here on our website: ovacome.org.uk/event/exerci... . The sessions take place every Tuesday morning with Sarah Russell, a clinical exercise and Pilates specialist for people with cancer.

To learn more about our relaxation and self care workshops that Catfeeder also mentioned, please visit: ovacome.org.uk/Event/relaxa... . Hayley who runs the sessions specialises in oncology massage and shares a range of simple relaxation techniques to relieve stress and discomfort..

We have had some really positive feedback about these sessions from our members and you would be very welcome to join us. Please do let us know if you have any questions about getting involved.

In addition, I hope our information resources below about diet & nutrition, and complementary therapies may be of interest to you:

1. Diet and nutrition: ovacome.org.uk/diet-and-nut... - You can also find a recording of an Ovacome webinar about diet and cancer with specialist oncology dietitian Adele Hug here: youtube.com/watch?v=ghsVRM5...(Not working as expected?) . This was from our health and wellbeing day in December 2021.

2. Complementary therapies ovacome.org.uk/complementar... - We can send this to you in the post, free of charge, if you prefer?

Sashay2020 has mentioned using mistletoe. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre have some more information about this on their About Herbs database, explaining that ‘Mistletoe therapy may improve symptoms and quality of life for cancer patients, but definitive information is still lacking’. As Sashay2020 says, it’s really important to discuss any supplements and herbal medicines you’re considering with a member of your clinical team, so that they can be aware of any potential contraindications. We encourage anyone interested in purchasing supplements or herbal products to by from a reputable supplier and the Association of UK Dietiticans have some more information about this on their website: bda.uk.com/resource/supplem... .

I hope this is useful. We’re here to support you so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you would like to talk things through or if there's anything we may be able to assist with. You can reply directly through this forum, send us an email via [e-mail] or call our support line on 0800 008 7054. We’re here Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm.

Best wishes

Annie – Ovacome support

[Vilinew in reply to OvacomeSupport]

Dear Annie,Thank you very much for the information provided. I will further explore it. It's been very helpful of you.