Category Archives: Lymphoma

Part 2: Lymphoma – After CA Care Therapy Health Improved by About 20%

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This 71-year-old lady was diagnosed with lymphoma and breast cancer. She underwent three rounds of chemotherapy (total of 24 cycles  over a period of time). The treatment failed. Her health deteriorated. The family had to sell a house just to pay for the medical bills. At a loss, the family sought our help. The patient was started on our therapy. Her health improved! For sure, there is no need to sell another house to pay for this herbal treatment!

I am in constant contact with her daughter and we monitored the progress of her mother’s health. Below are some details.

1. Are you taking any herbs now? Yes. Mama sometimes drinks teas made from soursop leaves, moringa leaves and white turmeric (kunyit putih).

2. If so, are the herbs effective or helping you? No.

3. Give us a list of your doctor’s medication as well as other vitamins and supplements that you are taking now.

1. Medicine for high blood pressure: Aprovel 150 mg (half a pill) 1 time a day.

2. Diabetes medicine: Glucophage 500 mg (1 pill) once a day.

3. Abatcholestrol: Atorvastatin 10 mg (1 pill) once a day.

4. Concor: 2.5 mg (once a day).

5. Lamivudine was asked by Dr.2 to drink once a day.

6. Megestrol Acetate 160 mg: half a pill, once a day.

7. Famotidine: 20 mg (2 times a day).

8.Nuerobion Forte & Curcuma Force

9. Herballife milk and Herbalife Aloe Vera, every morning & night.

5. My Suggestion

  • Herbs –  soursop leaves, moringa leaves and white turmeric did not produce any positive reaction. You do not need them anymore.
  • Doctor’s medication and supplements (listed above): Continue taking medicines for high blood pressure and diabetes. The others no need to take.

6. Herbs from CA Care

The herbal teas that your mother is going to drink every day are as follows:

 1. Capsule A

2.  C&D

3.  M

4.  Lympho -1

5.  Lympho – 2

6.  SAP

7.  Pain

7. Health conditions before and after undergoing CA Care therapy

Health conditions BEFORE undergoing CA Care therapyHealth conditions AFTER undergoing CA Care therapy
1. On the right, above the breast often feels uncomfortable as if there is a lump.Sometimes still feels awkward and uncomfortable. Herbs helped by about 20%.
2. Often tired and short of breath.Now only  sometimes. Herbs helped 20%.
3. Weak legs                 Left and right legs weak. Has improved by about 5%.
4. Right hand felt numb.Left and right finger tips often numb. Has improved somewhat. Herbs helped.
5. Had to drink “fiber: before can move bowels defecate.No need to drink fiber for bowel movements.
6. Need to consume appetite medicine, megestrol acetate 160 mg. Half a pill once every day.No need to take megestrol to help with the appetite.
7. Had diabetes since February 2021 due to blood transfusion.Still has diabetes.
8. High blood pressure.No longer taking medication for high blood pressure.
9. Urinate about every 2 to 3 hours.  Urination normal, no more problem.
10. Often feel rapid heartbeat if don’t take concor.  If consume concor heart heartbeat normal.
11. Appetite.Appetite has improved.
12. No problem with sleeping.  No sleeping problem but wakes up at 4 a.m. and not able to sleep anymore.

How is your mom’s condition after following CA Care Therapy?

Her health had been pretty good and has improved by about 20%.

Comments

The aim of our therapy is heal the sick body – sick due to both the cancer and the adverse effects of chemotherapy given by her doctors. Our therapy involves the consumption of herbal teas, change of diet and life style, medication and prayer. No, our method is not to fight with your cancer but to learn to live with your cancer.

Such method is said to be primitive, unproven and unscientific! People like me are often called snake oil peddler! But hang on, I have never learn how to catch a snake before! I don’t know how to make oil of the snake either!

I am a scientist and was a professor in the university – 26 years teaching there! I started my research to help cancer patients since the past 25 years after I retired. I have documented most of my work in the various books that I wrote. I have never stopped being a scientist and will call a spade a spade. No, I don’t tolerate or manufacture fake data. That is what a scientist should do – seek the truth and not being influenced by material rewards.

In this case, I was cautioned the patient and her family that this is a “hard” case to handle. She had done all the chemos and failed. I could not promise that our therapy would help her. The only promise I could give is, I shall try my best to help you since you have nowhere else to go.

Thank God. With time the patient’s condition improved. After the chemo treatment that failed her, she ended up with some 12 problems as listed in the table above.

After two weeks to three months following our therapy her health started to improve. I have a chance to talk to the patient via video. I was really happy to see that she was well and indeed benefited from our therapy. We can’t ask for more. I hope with time she will get better and better.

So what can you say about this case? Herbal therapy is not scientific? It is all baloney? It is not proven?

Make your own decision after studying the data presented above.  I can only say this, not all alternative healers are quacks or snake oil peddlers!

Let me share with you some quotations that often guide me in trying to help our patients.

Lessons I have learned in life when helping those in need …

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Part 1: Lymphoma: Chemotherapy Failed.

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Sold a house to pay for medical expenses. Last hope – CA Care!

(Emails translated from Bahasa Indonesia)

Greetings Dr. Chris,

I am DT from Indonesia. I want to consult about my mother – 71 years old. This is her medical history:

1. In 2007 she had lymphoma. A biopsy was done and the result was a Stage 2 cancer. She underwent treatment at Hospital No.1 (not real name) in Singapore by a renowned oncologist, Dr. No.1 (not real name).

I do not have her medical reports because these were kept by the Singapore doctor. A chemo port was installed and she received a total of about 10 cycles of chemotherapy.

The doctor did not tell us the name of the chemo drugs used. After chemotherapy my mother suffered loss of appetite and hair.

2. In 2012 during a routine PET scan in Singapore, my mother was found to have Stage 1 breast cancer.

Mom underwent 5 radiation treatments in addition to surgery to remove the tumour.This treatment was done at the same Hospital No.1 in Singapore.

3. After that mom was on tamoxifen for about 5 years.

4. Every 3 to 6 months mom went for routine check-up in Singapore and did a PET scan every year.

5. In 2020 after a PET scan, the doctor said my mother had lymphoma again.

Because we couldn’t afford to undergo more chemotherapy with Dr. No.1 of Hospital No.1, we switched to another oncologist.

6. We went for treatment at Hospital No.2, also in Singapore. The oncologist, Dr.No.2 advised us to go for more chemotherapy.

After some negotiations, Dr. No.2 arranged that the expenses for chemotherapy could  be paid by instalments.

Dr. No.2 also advised my mother to undergo chemotherapy in Indonesia to save costs, but using the regimens she prescribed below:

• Day 1 Gemcitabine + Carboplatin.

• Day 8 Gemcitabine + Zometa.

Mom underwent chemotherapy using the drugs Gemcitabine and Carboplatin from 31 January 2021 to 11 April 2021.

These treatments were carried out in a clinic in Indonesia as recommended by Dr.2. Mom had a total of 10 cycles of the above treatment.

7. While undergoing chemotherapy, my mother’s condition became weak and her platelets count often dropped to a low level. She had to have blood transfusions.

Lately, my mom had been feeling dizzy and she felt like she was “floating” because of the side effects of chemotherapy.

8. A PET scan done on 2 Sept 2021 at Siloam Hospital Jakarta slowed that the lymphoma did not go away.

Dr.No.2 suggested a change of chemo drug.

Mom had to continue with more chemotherapy.

9. Dr. No. 2 suggested using Brentuximab 100 mg or Adcetris. This is a new drug specifically for relapsed lymphoma cancer. The price for each cycle is 100 million rupiah (RM30,000).

10. Mom underwent treatment with Adcetris from 19 September 2021 to                                       14 November 2021. She had a total of 4 treatments.

The treatment was also carried out in Indonesia undergo the direction of Dr.No.2.

On 15 December 2021 a CT scan was done. The treatment results were not satisfactory. There were still new tumours developing.

11. We were at a loss. If we were to undergo more chemotherapy using this new drug, the financial toll would be very heavy indeed. The final cost could run to hundreds of million rupiahs.

We were not able to afford it. We had already sold a house to pay for the costs of the earlier treatments.

The above is a brief outline of my mother’s medical history. And if my mom wants to take herbs from Dr. Chris, what should we do?

Best Regards / God Bless You All.

Following Our Therapy is Not Easy!

Below was our initial reply to DT.

Please read the following first. After that, ask if you want or can follow our therapy?

1. CANCER CANNOT BE TOTALLY CURED

a) Most of the patients who came to seek our help had undergone medical treatments and they were still not happy. For some patients, the treatments failed or did not cure them.

b) So, if you come here expecting me to cure you, know that I can’t cure your cancer either. From my experience, no one on earth can cure cancer – cancer will generally come back after “sleeping in your body” for some years.

c) But if you want me to help you – that is, to give you another option and to have a better quality of life – maybe it is possible. But it all depends on YOU alone. Because your health is your responsibility. Are you willing to help yourself? Are you willing to change your lifestyle, diet, etc. to heal yourself?

2. OUR HERBS ARE BITTER

a) In addition to the unpleasant taste and smell, you will need to boil the herbs several times a day – it’s a lot of work!

b) You need to take two, three or four kind of herbal teas every day.

3. YOU MUST TAKE CARE OF YOUR DIET – abstain from taking “unhealthy food.”

a) Can’t eat things that walks – that is, can’t eat meat, eggs, milk, etc.

b) Don’t take white sugar.

c) Do not take oil or fried food and table salt.

4. TRY OUR THERAPY FOR 2 to 4 WEEKS FIRST

a) For the first week or two after taking the herbs, you may feel more sick, more tired, etc. This may be due to healing crisis, so don’t stop taking the herbs.

b) You may feel much better after this initial healing crisis.

c) If your condition does not improve after 4 weeks, then you may wish to find someone else to help you and stop following our therapy. But if you feel better, then continue with what you are doing.

My Mom Wants to Follow Dr. Chris’ Therapy

Good Evening & Healthy Greetings Dr. Chris,

First, I wish to say a thousand thanks to Dr. Chris for replying my email.

After some discussions, our family decided to follow all the things that Dr. Chris had suggested in the email. My mom was also ready to follow Dr. Chris’ instructions as in Dr. Chris’ email.

So, when can my mom start this therapy? Now my mother’s condition is rather worrying since new tumours have started to appear. So she would like to undergo the therapy from Dr. Chris as soon as possible.

Best Regards. GBU All.

Comments

Patients are told that if they have cancer, the only scientific and proven method to “cure” or “fight” cancer is by undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Lately to make things more impressive patients are told to undergo targeted therapy,  immunotherapy, etc.

In this case study, this 71-year-old lady believed her doctors. So she went to the best doctor in the best hospital in Singapore. She received about 24 cycles of chemotherapy using the scientifically proven drugs. Her treatments failed. The cancer did not go away. More tumours grew.

What say you now?  Some would say: Wah, don’t be bias, this is an exceptional or rare of failure. There are many others who are cured by such treatment. She was just unlucky.

There is no need for me to argue if your have been ingrained with this perception. Anyway, in this case – a failure is a failure. And this case study is a true story, written by the patient’s daughter. There is no reason for her to bluff.

From the story we can learn three things:

1. Chemotherapy did not cure the patient.

2. The treatment made the patient’s life more miserable – suffering from the side effects of the chemo.

3. This proven and scientific treatment cost a lot of money (but did not work). The family had to sell a house to pay for the medical bills.

Are these conclusions true? You decide.

Let me conclude by presenting you with a few quotations to reflect on.

Not all chemo drugs are effective!

Glaxo-SmithKline is one of the world’s biopharma company. Ask this question: What made the vice-president of Glaxo-SmithKline made such damaging statement?

How scientific is chemotherapy? What about the side effects?

Dr. Warner was an unconventional oncologist. Read what he wrote:

Read what Dr. Cynthia Foster, a medical doctor wrote in her book:

Costs of medical treatments for cancer

Let me end this article with this quotation:

Lymphoma: Health improved after 4 weeks on herbs

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Yen is a 23-year-old Indonesian. He had just completed his study in law. His problem started with a small swelling in his right collar bone. The lump grew bigger and developed more lumps. He did the following:

  1. He went to the hospital in Pekan Baru. The doctor diagnosed his problem as TB and Yen was on TB medication for about 6 to 7 months. The problem did not go away.
  2. Yen consulted a doctor in another hospital. He was told he had lymphoma and was asked to undergo chemotherapy.
  3. No satisfied Yen went to the general hospital in his home town. Again he was told he had lymphoma and was asked to undergo chemotherapy, which he refused to do.
  4. Yen went to Pekan Baru Medical Centre for further consultation. He was told the same thing — it’s a lymphoma and he need to undergo chemotherapy.
  5. Yen started to take herbal products which cost him IDR 15 million for three months. The herbs seemed to help.
  6. Yen started other “jamu” or herbal concoction for about 1 year. It cost him about IDR 1 million per month. His health got worse.
  7. At last Yen landed in Santa Maria Hospital. Again he was told he had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and has to undergo chemotherapy, which he flatly refused.

Yen came to seek our help in March 2019. He presented with the following:

  • severe fatigue
  • profuse sweating of both hands
  • he has fever everyday
  • he feels “heaty” in the chest
  • swelling in the right collar bone
  • breathlessness
  • itching throughout the whole body.

Yen took our herbs for about a month and then stopped. This was what happened:

Week 1: He did not feel good (tak enak). The lump in his right neck grew bigger and had pulling pain.

Week 2: The lump in his neck started to shrink and the pain was less. He started to feel good again.

Week 3: He had less fever. Before he had fever every day. His hands did not feel “cold” anymore. His head felt “hot” only once in a while.

Week 4: His breathlessness improved. Pains in the hands came on and off only.

Week 5: Swelling in the collar was smaller but new swellings developed in the left neck, right upper jaw and right arm pit. The lumps were painful.

Did the herbs helped him? The answer is yes.

Before the herbs: When he woke up from sleep, he had pains throughout the body. He felt tired easily. He sweated profusely .. his whole body was wet. His whole body itched.

After taking the herbs: The body itch was totally gone. The pain in the body had improved. He said the pain was okay now. He did not feel tired anymore. The sweating of the whole body is totally gone.

Watch this video:

 

About 9 months later (early December 2019), Yen came back to see again and reported the following:

  1. His health is back to normal.
  2. He can now play football with his friends. This is something he was not able to do before, due to lack of energy.
  3. The swelling in his collar bone is gone! He showed us these two pictures below:

 

 

 

 

 

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: I felt I was dying after the chemo

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Martha is a 33-year-old lady from Aceh, Indonesia. In 2017, she had a swelling in the right side of her neck. She did nothing about it because she was pregnant at that time. She had no problem and went to give birth. It was only after the delivery of her child that problems started to crop up. She started to have fevers. The doctor prescribed medication but the fevers did not go away. Then she started to cough.

After an X-ray of her chest, the doctor said there was a “swelling” in her lung. A biopsy was done and the problem was said to be due to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Not satisfied, Martha  went  to Kuala Lumpur for a second opinion. A surgery was done to remove a lump in her chest area. Again, she was told that she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Martha returned to Indonesia and underwent 2 cycles of chemotherapy at the cancer hospital in Jakarta. Then she continued to do another 8 cycles of chemo in a hospital in Medan. After the completion of the treatment, Martha had a PET scan done in a hospital in Jakarta. The cancer did not go away. Martha was told to undergo another six cycles of chemotherapy.

This time, Martha decided to undergo chemotherapy in her hometown, Aceh. The chemo regimen used was ICE-Mesna (Ifosfamide, carboplatin, Etoposide and Mesna).

Martha became breathless after one shot of this chemo. She said, I felt that I was dying. In addition to her breathing problem, Martha passed out blood in her urine. She also passed out a lot of blood clots.

The second cycle of chemo was scheduled for 5 June 2019, but Martha decided to give up her chemo treatment. She and her husband came to seek our help on 3 June 2019.

Excerpts our conversation.

Chris: When you first did the chemo, did you ask the oncologist if this treatment was going to cure you?

Martha: The oncologist in Medan (where she received 8 cycles of chemo) said, Yes. There is a 90 percent chance of a cure! But I cannot eat sugar and milk.

C: After the shot of chemo in Aceh, you passed out blood in your urine. And there were also blood clots. Did the doctor explain why you had this problem?

M: I have a tumour in my bladder (a CT scan on 28 May 2019 showed a 2.52 cm x 1.46 cm tumour in the bladder).

Lessons we can learn from this case.

  1. Chemo did not cure Martha – in fact it gave her more problems.

Martha had a total of 10 cycles of chemotherapy. Did the treatment cure her? No. She was asked to undergo another 6 cycles. She did one cycle and decided to give it up. What could happen if she were to continue with the other 5 cycles? Would she be alive? Cured? No one can tell for sure.

  1. Beware of empty or text-book promise of cure!

While undergoing her chemo in Medan, Martha was told that with chemotherapy she would have a 90 percent chance of cure. What happened now? No, the cancer recurred just after the treatment was completed.

  1. .Martha did not know nor was told the whole truth about the side effects of her ICE-Mesna treatment.

After the relapse, Martha was asked to undergo another 6 cycles of chemo. This time she need not have to travel far. Let’s do it in Aceh, her hometown. What happened after one shot of chemo? In her own words, she said she felt like dying. She became breathless and she passed out blood in her urine. Do you know why? These are the side effects of the chemotherapy that she had.

Common side effects of ICE-Mesna chemotherapy.

Source: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/drugs/ice

  • Each of these effects happens in more than 1 in 10 people (10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
  • Increased risk of getting an infectionis due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and generally unwell. Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection.
  • Breathless and look paledue to a drop in red blood cells.
  • Bruising and bleeding. This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood.
  • Tiredness and weakness (fatigue)
  • Feeling or being sick
  • Loss of appetite
  • Tummy (abdominal) pain
  • Kidney damage
  • Irritation of the lining of the bladder. This treatment can irritate your bladder and kidneys.Aa drug called Mesna to protect your bladder and kidneys.
  • an allergic reaction that can cause shortness of breath and redness or swelling of the face
  • dizziness
  • heart problems such as an irregular heartbeat and hypertension
  • diarrhoea
  • a sore mouth
  • skin rash, itchy skin and reddening of the skin
  • redness, swelling, pain or leaking at your drip site
  • bleeding
  • numbness or tingling in fingers and toes can make it difficult to do fiddly things such as doing up buttons
  • taste changes
  • hearing loss especially with high pitched sounds
  • problems with your eyes
  • lung problems that can cause difficulty breathing
  • a second cancer some years after treatment.

Why was Martha bleeding after just one shot of ICE-Mesna? It is well documented that the chemo-drug Ifosfamide can induced bleeding, a condition known as hemorrhagic cystitis (HC).

A report said, in early trials, large single ifosfamide doses produced gross hematuria in 100 percent of patients. In other studies, the reported overall incidence of HC among patients treated with fractionated dosing of ifosfamide without urothelial protection ranges from 18 to 40 percent. In contrast, when ifosfamide is administered with the uroprotectant mesna, gross hematuria is uncommon (occurring in <5 percent of cases), and microscopic hematuria alone occurs in 5 to 18 percent of courses.

Source: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/hemorrhagic-cystitis-in-cancer-patients

Unfortunately, in the case of Martha, even the addition of Mesna to her treatment protocol did not prevent bleeding caused by ifosfamide.

  1. Doctors do not know about nutrition. The oncologist told Martha, she should avoid taking sugar and milk. All others are okay! Well, at least the oncologist had attempted to be “holistic” but he had to read a lot more.

In an article in the Washington Post, Rachel Cernansky wrote:  .. a doctor may not be a reliable source. Experts say that while most physicians may recognize that diet is influential in health, they don’t learn enough about nutrition in medical school or the training programs that follow. An estimated 50 to 80 percent of chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer, are partly related to or affected by nutrition, according to Martin Kohlmeier, a research professor in nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/your-doctor-may-not-be-the-best-source-of-nutrition-advice/2018/07/06/f8b3ecfe-78af-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0f5e9d61714a

Nutrition is a major issue for most patients with cancer and their families …Unfortunately, receiving correct information is still under-addressed by healthcare professionals, notwithstanding it’s a primary right of the patients. The lack of guidance will often lead to doubtful ‘self-management’ strategies.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5950635/

 

 

 

 

BALT lymphoma of the lung: Chemotherapy failed. Herbs helped him.

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AST is from Tanjung Balai, a town on one of the islands in Riau, Indonesia.

In April 2018, this 48-year-old man — a smoker of some 30 years standing — went for a routine medical checkup in Johor Baru, Malaysia. He had no symptom whatsoever.

An X-ray during the checkup showed something in his lung. A trucut biopsy of the right lung mass was done immediately. Histomorphology and immunoprofile pointed to a low grade lymphoma of BALT.

Bone Marrow Aspirate and Bone Marrow Trephine showed normocellular marrow (meaning, in contains a normal number of cells; neither hypocellular nor hypercellular).

(Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy: The procedure known as trepanning, or trephination, of bone is the oldest surgical practice that continues to have clinical relevance in modern times. There are 2 main types of bone marrow test: 1) bone marrow aspiration — doctor sucks some liquid bone marrow cells up into a syringe. 2) bone marrow trephine biopsy — the doctor removes1 or 2cm core of bone marrow in one piece. Usually both of these tests are done at the same time. These tests are often done to find the reason for many blood disorders and may be used to find out if cancer or infection has spread to the bone marrow).

AST was referred to an oncologist of the same hospital for follow up treatment. He was sent to another hospital for PET/CT scan. The results of the scan done on 23 April 2018 indicated:

  • FDG avid mass right lung, 8.4 x 5.9 x 8.1 cm.
  • FDG avid nodule apicoposterior segment lower upper lobe, 1.0 x 0.8 cm.
  • Bronchieactatic changes seen in both lungs.
  • No mediastinal mass lesion or lymphadenopathy.

AST underwent chemotherapy. The drug regime used was: R-CHOP (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin (hydroxydaunomycin), Vincristine (Oncovin) and Prednisolone (a steriod).

Each cycle cost RM11,000. He received a total of three cycles at three-weekly interval. The treatment completed on 14 June 2018.

After this initial treatment, AST’s father died (due to old age) and as a result he took a break from chemotherapy.

A repeat PET/CT scan was done on 15 August 2018. The result showed:

  • Previous FDG avid mass right lung has reduced intensity and was smaller 6.5 x 4.9 x 5.5 cm.
  • Previous FDG avid nodule apicoposterior segment lower upper lobe disappear.
  • New two FDG avid nodules at posterior lower left lobe, 1.5 x 1.0 cm and 1.1 x 0.9 cm.
  • New right paravertebral mass lesion, 0.8 x 0.6 cm.
  • Multiple cysts both lung fields unchanged.

Impression: progression of lesions with new lung metastases left lower lobe and small right paravertebral mass.

AST received ten times of radiation on the chest. This cost him RM 5,000.

He was told to go for more chemo. He refused. His daughter found CA Care in the internet and decided to seek our help. 

Comments 

You may wonder why I document this case. Here is the answer. For more than two decades of helping cancer patients, lung cancer is one of the most common that I get to see. And these are carcinoma type of lung cancer. During these years I did come across a few cases of lung cancer of the sarcoma (not carcinoma) type.

Primary lung sarcoma is very rare, accounting for less than 0.5% of all lung tumors. Then this week, I encountered a pulmonary BALT lymphoma, a first case in over twenty years.

I came home and started to learn what this BALT lymphoma is. Here are some information about this type of really rare lung cancer.

  • BALT means Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue. It is a lymphoma found in the lung. Actually there are two types of lung lymphoma — BALT and MALT lymphoma. MALT stands for Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue. The most common type of primary pulmonary lymphoma is MALT lymphoma.
  • Most pulmonary lymphomas are low-grade B-cell lymphoma.
  • Primary pulmonary lymphoma is rare, accounting for 0.5% of all lung tumors and less than 1% of all lymphomas.
  • They are generally indolent (causing little or no pain) with good prognosis.
  • Patients with BALT lymphoma have an excellent prognosis. Interestingly, surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or combinations of these strategies all seem to achieve good results.
  • The most frequent reported symptoms in patients with BALT lymphoma include dry cough and difficult breathing.
  • Patients may also present with fever, night sweats and weight loss.
  • Since many patients are asymptomatic or present with vague symptoms, there is often a delay in diagnosis. It is believed that, in approximately one-third to one-half of the patients, the disease is discovered incidentally on X-ray.
  • About 14% of patients may have bone marrow involvement.
  • Since this is a slow-growing disease, it has excellent response to surgery, chemotherapy or combined treatment. Treatment provides excellent prognosis, with extremely low mortality rates. There is a report that pulmonary BALT lymphoma was successfully treated with eight cycles weekly Rituximab.

AST and his daughter came to consult us in October 2018. He looked “healthy” except for a bit of cough and difficulty in breathing. After hearing his story, I told AST that his lifestyle is reckless. While still on chemotherapy, AST told me that he was riding motorcycle up the rugged hills in the rain. This resulted in infection. I emphasized to AST that he needs to adopt a more “healthy and restrained” lifestyle if he wants to live without problems.

I cannot say what is going to happen next but after reading what pulmonary BALT lymphoma is, I want to “believe” that the herbs and a change of lifestyle  can help him. But ultimately, it all depends on AST, whether he is willing to help himself or not.

Update: AST came back to see us again after a month. He took the herbs and keep to the diet without any problem. He did not suffer any healing crisis. Did his health deteriorate this one month after defaulting on chemotherapy? No. Did he feel better after taking the herbs? Yes.

AST said he has more energy after taking the herbs. His cough is also resolved. He can now take a deep breath. Before the herbs, his breathing was swallow. AST said he would NOT go for anymore chemo. He is happy following our therapy.

Watch this video.

 

P/S:  As I am writing this story, a lady came to your centre. She was diagnosed with MALT lymphoma.This is also my first encounter with this type of cancer. In this case, the MALT lymphoma “attacked” the inner lining of her eye lid. How could that be? I wonder what has become of our world today. I hope to be able to write about this story in the near future.

 

 

Lymphoma of Nasal Cavity: No chemo or radiation. Ten years on, doing just fine.

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 KC was 53 year old when he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma of the nasal cavity. His problem started with a runny nose in 2007. His nose had a swelling.

In 2008 he had difficulty breathing and production of blood-stained phlegm. He consulted a GP who said he had an infection. Antibiotics did not help him.

KC consulted an ENT at a private hospital. CT scan showed soft tissue lesion seen occupying the left nasal cavity.

A biopsy was performed. The histology report dated 24 March 2008 indicted: Left nasal blocked for long time. Left nasal mass –  atypical lymphoid proliferation found suggestive of low grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The diagnosis was later confirmed by University of Malaya as Nasal type: T-cell lymphoma.

The doctor suggested 30 sessions of radiotherapy and six cycles of chemotherapy. The doctor warned KC that without treatment his nose will be blocked, his vision will be affected and he may go deaf.

KC refused further medical treatment. He came to CA Care on 4 April 2008. He told us that he has many friends who had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy and they all died. He would not want to go through such treatments.

KC was started on herbs: NPC 1 and NPC2, Lymphoma 1 and 2, NPC Phlegm, Capsule A and detox Tea. He was also told to take care of his diet.

One day on the herbs, KC had more bleeding from the nose. The second day, his phlegm was yellowish.

Seven weeks on the herbs KC felt his nose was better.  There was less bleeding and production of phlegm. He could sleep better. He was happy with the progress. KC said he spend time jogging from 3 to 5 pm each day.

About five months later, on 19 September 2008, KC went back to see the doctor who examined him earlier. A nasal endoscopy was done. The doctor told him it was good and there was nothing inside his nose anymore. KC came to our center on 28 September 2008 to inform us of this good news.

I asked him: Did you go and see the same doctor who examined earlier? KC confirmed that it was same ENT who did the biopsy for him.

Since then KC is well and fine.

KC does not understand much English and Hokkien. I need an interpreter to communicate with him. My question to him: How are you doing? Are you okay? He would reply: Ok, ok. No problem. I can eat, can sleep well and can go anywhere I like. 

Fast forward to November 2018 — ten years later. KC came to our centre. He is doing okay. No problem.

A few years ago, KC’s brother was also diagnosed with nose cancer. KC brought his brother to see us. Unfortunately his brother did not believe in herbs. He opted for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He died some months later.  

Questions to Ponder

  • What could have happen if KC were to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy as suggested by the doctor?
  • It has been TEN years now, and KC is doing extremely well. Is the taking of herbs and changing of diet not a proven healing method?
  • KC’s brother also had nose cancer but opted for chemo and radiation. He knew first hand that KC was doing well on our therapy. Why did he not follow KC? Is it because following our therapy means he cannot eat anything he likes?

 

 

 

Limfoma Hidung: Tak mau kemoterapi atau radiasi. Sepuluh tahun kemudian, baik-baik saja.

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KC berusia 53 tahun ketika dia didiagnosis dengan limfoma sel T dari rongga hidung. Masalahnya dimulai dengan hidung berair pada tahun 2007. Hidungnya bengkak.

Pada tahun 2008 ia mengalami kesulitan bernapas dan produksi dahak bernoda darah.

Dia berkonsultasi dengan dokter umum yang mengatakan dia mengalami infeksi. Antibiotik tidak membantunya.

KC berkonsultasi dengan THT di rumah sakit swasta. CT scan menunjukkan lesi jaringan lunak terlihat menempati rongga hidung kiri.

Biopsi dilakukan. Laporan histologi pada 24 Maret 2008 mengesahkan: Hidung kiri diblokir untuk waktu yang lama. Massa nasal kiri – proliferasi limfoid atipikal ditemukan menunjukkan limfoma non-Hodgkin derajat rendah.

Diagnosis kemudian dikonfirmasi oleh University of Malaya sebagai tipe Nasal: limfoma sel-T.

Dokter menyarankan 30 sesi radioterapi dan enam siklus kemoterapi.

Dokter memperingatkan KC bahwa tanpa perawatan hidungnya akan diblokir, penglihatannya akan terpengaruh dan dia mungkin menjadi tuli.

KC menolak perawatan medis lebih lanjut. Dia datang ke CA Care pada 4 April 2008.

Dia memberi tahu kami bahwa dia memiliki banyak teman yang telah menjalani kemoterapi dan radioterapi dan mereka semua meninggal. Dia tidak mau menjalani perawatan seperti itu.

KC diresepkan herbal: NPC 1 dan NPC2, Limfoma 1 dan 2, NPC Phlegm, Capsule A dan Teh detoks. Dia juga diberitahu untuk menjaga pola makannya — harus pantang.

Satu hari setelah minum herbal: KC mengalami pendarahan lebih dari hidung. Hari kedua, dahaknya kekuningan.

Tujuh minggu setelah minum herbal: KC merasa hidungnya lebih baik. Ada kurang perdarahan dan produksi dahak. Dia bisa tidur lebih baik. Dia senang dengan kemajuan.

KC mengatakan dia pergi joging dari jam 3 sampai jam 5 sore setiap hari.

Sekitar lima bulan kemudian, pada 19 September 2008.

KC kembali menemui dokter yang memeriksanya sebelumnya. Endoskopi nasal dilakukan. Dokter mengatakan bahwa itu baik dan tidak ada massa di dalam hidungnya lagi.

KC datang ke pusat kami pada 28 September 2008 untuk menginformasikan kepada kami kabar baik ini. Saya bertanya: Apakah Anda pergi ke dokter yang sama yang memeriksa sebelumnya? KC menegaskan bahwa itu adalah THT yang sama yang melakukan biopsi untuknya.

Sejak itu KC baik-baik saja.

KC tidak mengerti banyak bahasa Inggris dan Hokkien. Saya membutuhkan seorang juru bahasa untuk berkomunikasi dengannya. Pertanyaan saya padanya: Bagaimana kabarmu? Apakah kamu baik-baik saja? Dia akan menjawab: Ok, oke. Tidak masalah. Saya bisa makan, bisa tidur dengan baik dan bisa pergi kemanapun saya suka. 

Maju cepat hingga November 2018 – sepuluh tahun kemudian.

KC datang ke pusat kami. Dia baik-baik saja. Tidak masalah.

Beberapa tahun yang lalu, KC membawa saudaranya yang menderita kanker hidung ke CA Care. Sayangnya saudaranya tidak percaya pada herbal. Ia memilih kemoterapi dan radioterapi. Dia meninggal beberapa bulan kemudian.

Pertanyaan Untuk Renungan

  • Apa yang bisa terjadi jika KC menjalani kemoterapi dan radioterapi seperti yang disarankan oleh dokter?
  • Sudah SEPULUH tahun sekarang dan KC baik-baik saja. Apakah menjalani terapi herbal dan perubahan diet bukan metode penyembuhan yang terbukti?
  • Saudara KC juga menderita kanker hidung tetapi memilih kemoterapi dan radiasi. Dia tahu secara langsung bahwa KC baik-baik saja dengan mejalani terapi kami. Mengapa dia tidak mengikuti KC? Apakah karena mengikuti terapi kami berarti dia harus pantang dan tidak dapat makan apapun yang dia suka?

 

 

 

Lymphoma Twenty Years Ago, Still Alive and Healthy! Is that quackery and “scientifically unproven”?

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JO, a 69-year-old Malaysian lady came to seek our advice after being diagnosed with melanoma (skin cancer). She was accompanied by her husband and son. As usual, my first question to them was,Who asked you to come here?JO replied,My daughter! She is a medical doctor. She has been pushing me to come and see as soon as possible.

JO’s problem started with a small, flat mole on her back that started to grow bigger. A biopsy was done and the mole removed. It was malignant. Another surgery was done to remove a wider margin. Then, after surgery what follows?  Go for chemo or herbs?

I am curious. Why must a medical doctor think of sending her mother to a herbalist?

Here is the answer. About twenty years ago JO and many members of her family (including her daughter) came to our centre because JO’s sister — OGK — had lymphoma. She refused to undergo chemotherapy and opted for our therapy.

Listen to this video.

What can we learn from this story?

Lesson one.  Is OGK still alive? Yes — very much alive! She is now 85 years old and is still healthy. Not long along OGK visited Penang and even visited Penang Hill. Meaning, she could still travel and lead a normal life. Generally patients are told that if you don’t do chemo for your cancer, you die! You would not make it to 1 or 2 years, let alone 20 years!

I told JO. Many patients came to see us. After some time, we never get to see them. My assumption is that all of them have died. Those who get well after taking our herbs do not come back to say “hello” to us. Since I don’t get to see them again, I assume that they too have died! Thanks OJ for coming back to share this amazing story of your sister!

Lesson two. How does her medical doctor daughter come into the picture? JO said she also came to our center when her auntie was ill at that time. So she had “learned” from this experience that our herbs did a lot of good to her auntie. Meaning this was a “real, teaching lesson” for her. Unfortunately, they don’t teach such things in medical school.

Lesson three. Often we read or hear people say that those who refuse medical treatment for their cancer and opted for alternative therapy are people with low health literacy (and) are often unable to discern between scientifically proven or anecdotal based therapies.

What does this phrase mean? Probably that is a polite way of saying,You must be stupid and real dumb for not going for chemotherapy or radiotherapy! You don’t even know how to differentiate between a proven and scientific therapy from just-a-story-based therapy which is unproven.

Well, I leave it up to you what you want to make out of such a statement. But from my years of experience, I believe that those who come to us are the “empowered” patients. They have seen or heard what these so-called scientific and proven therapies like chemo or radiotherapy did to their family members or friends. Many suffered and many more died after having to pay a “bomb” for these treatments. No, they are not stupid or dumb.

Read this book, it has an interesting title:

Then you may wish to read what others say about this so called proven scientific method of treating cancer:

  1. Chemotherapy warning as hundreds die from cancer-fighting drug.

Patients should be warned about the dangers of chemotherapy after research showed that cancer drugs are killing up to 50 per cent of patients in some hospitals.

For the first time researchers looked at the numbers of cancer patients who died within 30 days of starting chemotherapy, which indicates that the medication is the cause of death, rather than the cancer.

Professor David Cameron, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland, said:

  • I think it’s important to make patients aware that there are potentially life threatening downsides to chemotherapy. And doctors should be more careful about who they treat with chemotherapy.
  • The concern is that some of the patients dying within 30 days of being given chemo probably shouldn’t have been given the chemo.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/30/chemotherapy-warning-as-hundreds-die-from-cancer-fighting-drugs/

  1. When Treating Cancer Is Not an Option

When my husband learned he had advanced lung cancer, he didn’t even want to speak to an oncologist about chemotherapy. He saw no point in treatment that could not cure him and might make him feel worse.

Most patients with these so-called stage 4 cancers who choose to undergo chemotherapy seem to believe, incorrectly, that the drugs could render them cancer-free. That is the finding of a recent national study of nearly 1,200 patients with advanced cancers of the lung or colon. Overall, 69 percent of those with stage 4 lung cancer and 81 percent of those with stage 4 colon cancer failed to understand “that chemotherapy was not at all likely to cure their cancer,” Dr. Jane C. Weeks, an oncology researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston..

In an editorial accompanying the journal report, Dr. Thomas J. Smith and Dr. Dan L. Longo pointed out that “people have an optimistic bias.” Despite a grim prognosis, this bias prompts patients to believe treatment can cure them.

“Our job is not to force them into acceptance but to encourage them to plan for the worst while hoping for the best,” Dr. Smith said. “Such patients have better outcomes — less depression and less distress, and they’re more likely to die comfortably at home.”

Read more: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/when-treating-cancer-is-not-an-option/

  1. Scientists: we will never find a cure for cancer

If all the positive cancer breakthrough headlines are to be believed, then the cure for cancer is right around the corner. But that is a far cry from reality, says Dr. Jørgen Olsen, head of research at The Danish Cancer Society.

“I think it’s an illusion to imagine that after millions of years of this disease we’ll suddenly find a solution. I don’t think that we’ll ever beat it, but I think that we’ll get it under control so that it becomes chronic but not deadly,” says Olsen.

Prominent cancer researcher, Mads Daugaard from the Molecular Pathology & Cell Imaging Laboratory at the University of British Colombia, Canada, agrees.

“We won’t find a cure, but we’ll probably reach a point where we have so many ways to attack cancer that people won’t die from it anymore,” says Daugaard.

But why can’t we find the secret weapon to beat cancer once and for all?

One reason is that cancer is not just one disease — even individual tumours can vary substantially from one patient to the next and the same type of tumour in different parts of the body can respond differently to medication.

Just like any other organism, cancer cells are trying to survive, and they are very good at it. They quickly spread to multiple parts of the body, and they mutate constantly, rendering existing medicines ineffective.

“Cancer cells are very adaptive, especially when the cancer is at an advanced stage,” says Olsen.

Read more: http://sciencenordic.com/scientists-we-will-never-find-cure-cancer

So what is the reality? When OGK came to seek our help and JO twenty years later, are they dumb or enlightened?

Ask this question: To be able to live a healthy life with lymphoma for twenty years without chemotherapy is still considered “unproven” and the evidence has no scientific value?

This healing story is not considered “scientifically proven” because the patient did not undergo chemotherapy! Also it is not published in peer-reviewed medical journal! You get the point?

 

 

 

 

Same lymphoma, Same chemo, Same oncologist, Same time but Different outcome. Where is the science?

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Nick (not real name) is a 37-year-old Indonesian. In late December 2017, he had coughs, became breathless and found a swelling under his left arm pit. In January 2018, he went to Singapore and did a PET scan followed by a biopsy. There was a large mass occupying the entire left lung. The left lung had collapsed, hence the breathlessness. The many surrounding lymph nodes were also swollen.

Histology confirmed Nick had a diffuse aggressive peripheral B-cell lymphoma with extensive supra- and infra-diaphramatic adenopathy involving mediastinal, hilar, left axillary/subpectoral and peri-celiac regions.

As expected, Nick underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with CHOP-R regimen. The total cost for this treatment came to about SGD80,000 (i.e. RM 240,000).

Chemotherapy was completed in May 2018. After a rest of about one and a half months, Nick did a follow-up PET scan on 2 July 2018. The results were as follows:

  • The previous mass, about 18 cm in the lung had shrunk significantly! Nick felt better after the chemo.
  • There is a residual non FDG avid soft tissue mass at the left hilum, measuring 3.0 x 2.8 cm.
  • A new focus of intense FDG uptake at the left aspect of the manubrium, suspicious of disease involvement.
  • A few foci of mild increased FDG uptake in the left upper pulmonary lobe associated with peripheral ground glass changes — probably due to inflammatory changes.
  • Diffuse mild increased FDG uptake in the bone marrow may be reactive in nature.

In view of the above, Nick was told to do another biopsy to determine what is in his breastbone. But before doing the biopsy, Nick decided to come and seek our help. He wanted to take herbs.

Nick shared the story of his friend who also had the “same” lymphoma at the same time as him. While Nick’s lymphoma mass was on the left lung, the friend’s lymphoma mass was in the middle of the chest.

Nick’s friend went to the same hospital, was treated by the same oncologist and received the same six-cycle of chemo — CHOP-R. Unfortunately, the treatment did not work for Nick’s friend. In this case, Nick was a bit more lucky.

Nick’s friend was asked to go for more chemo, using a new regimen called R-ICE. After one treatment his white blood cell count went down to almost zero.

(Note: The previous treatment regimen was Rituximab (R) and CHOP. CHOP stands for cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. The suggested new regimen is Rituximab and ICE. ICE stands for Ifos­famide + Carbo­platin + Etopo­side).

Listen to our conversation that morning.

 

 

Comments

What can you learn from this story? Yes, you can go to the same doctor, receive the same chemo-drugs for the same type of cancer but you cannot guarantee that you get the same result. This story shows that healing of cancer takes more than just “text book science” that you learned in school. Over the years helping cancer patients, there is one thing that I learned — the outcome of each treatment is very much dependent on the “nature” of the patient himself/herself.

Dr. Glenn Sabin is a medical doctor. He was diagnosed with cancer but cured himself through the non-chemo way. He wrote a book, N of 1.  He said, You may be wondering why I titled my book ‘n of 1’. In scientific circles, an N-of-1 trial is a clinical trial in which a single patient represents the entire investigation: a single case study. 

Shortly after I was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1991, my N-of-1 experiment began. No two cancers are exactly alike; neither are two patients. Our individual needs—physical, psychological and emotional—and cancer treatment regimens can vary widely; just like our responses to treatment and our unique journeys into survivorship.”

Dr. Sabin’s experience is an inspiring story about challenging medical dogma. He discussed how to activate the body’s innate capacity to heal. To heal, patients, their caregivers and their loved ones need to seek knowledge and self-empowerment.

In my book, Getting it right, I wrote a chapter with this title, Is Modern Medicine the Only Proven and Scientific Therapy?.

This is what I wrote: Medical treatments are said to be scientific and proven but what is the use, if patients still die after undergoing all these high-tech, state-of-the art treatments? Are the deaths and recurrences of cancer in patients not proof enough that scientific medicine has failed in one way or another? 

Taking of herbs or other CAM therapies brought benefits to patients. These therapies have not gone through “scientific baptism” to make them scientific. But this does not mean that the therapies are ineffective or unscientific. The results speak for themselves. The requirement that truth can only be found through current “gold standard method” of medicine is in itself unscientific. 

In the third chapter of the book, I went on to ask, Is Traditional and Complementary/ Alternative Medicine (CAM) a Quackery? 

Traditional and Complementary / Alternative Therapies (CAM) are often regarded as unproven by those in the medical profession. This negative perception is disappearing as the general public had overwhelmingly confirmed that CAM therapies are indeed beneficial for them. 

The next time you go to your oncologist to start your chemo, know that he/she is conducting an N=1 experiment on you. He/she may quote impressive success statistics but know that those statistics need not necessarily apply to you. If your oncologist says you have a 80 percent chance of cure, ask if he/she is sure that you belong to that 80 percent success group. Or what is the chance that you belong to the 20 percent failed group? If you ask such questions expect some unexpected response from your doctor! He/she may chase you out of the office! Or you will get a shelling. One doctor told a patient: How do I know, I am not god! Another doctor answered: It is your fate, your luck. 

So is going to the oncologist is just like going to a casino? Read this book, The Big Casino: America’s best cancer doctors share their most powerful stories.

To me, you need more than just “science” to cure your cancer — yes, you may need more luck or more karma. But one thing I know for sure … you need God’s mercy and blessing. Unfortunately, many people are still not responding to this change of reality.

Back to the case of Nick. He had six rounds of chemo and spent about RM240,000 for the treatment. Did the chemo helped him? Yes, definitely. His collapsed left lung was “restored” and he can now breathe normally. But did the chemo cure him? No, not yet. I am not sure if Nick can ever be cured. He was asked to do another biopsy to know what is left behind. Then what comes after the biopsy? What can the doctor offer other than more of the same thing … more chemo like his friend. What say you to more chemo?

Nick knew the pitfall. He decided to come and seek our help. But I was frank with him that morning. I said, I may be able to help but I cannot cure you.

Over the more than two decades of helping patients, I have come across many lymphoma cases and I know that our CA Care Therapy did help some of them.

My first encounter was with Dewi (not real name). She is a lawyer who had a recurrence a year after completion of her medical treatment. She did not want any more chemo and was started on our herbs and diet. Up to this day, Dewi is still doing fine. You can read more here: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/07/05/the-story-of-devi-a-lady-lawyer-about-40-years-old-afflicted-by-non-hodgkin%E2%80%99s-lymphoma/

Then there is another interesting case of a 65-year-old man who was diagnosed with B-cell type gastric non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After just one shot of chemo with modified CHOP –  cyclophosphamide + vincristine + Epirubicin and Prednisolone, he suffered a stroke (left thalamus infarction). The doctor gave up chemo and suggested radiotherapy instead. His daughter came to seek our help instead. Read here: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/02/05/non-hodgkins-lymphoma-of-the-stomach-one-cycle-of-chemo-made-him-really-sick-he-took-herbs-and-life-was-restored/

In March 2014, Mat had a lump on his chest. A biopsy confirmed it was a lymphoma.  Had underwent 25 cycles of radiotherapy, but he refused chemotherapy. The lump went away but in 2016, fluid accumulated in his lung and Mat had  it tapped out. Later the cancer spread to his neck. In February 2018, Mat wrote us to ask for help but I was reluctant to take up this case. I asked Mat to go and see the doctor instead. But he was adamant he did not any chemo. I had no choice but to help him. Yes, our therapy helped him too! For more read: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2018/06/16/lymphoma-swollen-neck-refused-surgery-or-chemotherapy-opted-for-ca-care-therapy/

As I am finishing this story, a 40-plus-year-old man came to seek our help. He was initially diagnosed with TB, but later the diagnosis was changed to lymphoma. He underwent six cycles of chemo.  The treatment failed. He was asked to go for another 12 cycles of chemo. After three cycles of this additional treatment he decided to give up and came to seek our help. After two weeks on the herbs, it looks like he is getting better. I cannot say what lies ahead for this unfortunate man.

 

 

Lymphoma: Swollen neck, refused surgery or chemotherapy. Opted for CA Care Therapy!

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These are emails I received not long ago.

26 February 2018 

Hi Dr,

I am from … Kedah and would like to meet to review my cancer (Hodgkin lymphoma) and what treatment that is suitable for me.

I dont have much clinical info of my cancer because I did not seek medical treatment from the hospital. The only treatment that I had was in 2014 in which I did radiation therapy to reduce the size of the tumor. In 2016 I had a relapse, and by end 2017 it had spread more and now grows bigger on my neck.

Terima Kasih, Mat (not real name).

Reply: You need to see the doctor first to know what happen — without medical reports, I cannot help. 

27 February 2018:  Tq. I’m actually going to see the doctor on Feb 27 to do the medical examination and I can bring the report. I need to decide if I need to go for surgery to remove the tumor on my neck or I can go take your herbs without surgery. Once I complete the medical report I shall email you again to make an appointment.

Hi,

I have my blood report and CT scan from hospital. Can I make appointment to meet?

Reply: Go and do all the necessary medical tests and see what the doctor wants to do. Complete all works by the doctor first before coming to see me. 

Mat and his wife eventually came to our centre on 2 March 2018. He presented with the following:

  1. Big lumps around his neck

  1. CT scan showed that there are many lumps all clustered together to cause that swelling.

   3. CT scan of lung.

Medical report of 27 February 2018: Multiple enlarged right level II, bilateral level III and level V and right supraclavicular, right axillary, mediatinum and paraaortic lymphadenopathy. Consistent with recurrence of lymphoma.

This is Mat’s story.

In March 2014, Mat had a lump on his chest. A biopsy was done and confirmed a nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma.  Had underwent 25 cycles of radiotherapy, but he refused chemotherapy.

Mat sought the help of traditional/religious healer who prescribed him virgin coconut oil, pegaga (Indian pennywort) and some other herbs.

In 2016, fluid accumulated in his lung and Mat had  it tapped out. He was told that the cancer had spread. Mat did nothing about it.

In February 2018, Mat wrote us to ask for help (emails above). He also went to a hospital and did a scan (above). Mat was then told to undergo 12 cycles of chemotherapy — once every two weeks. Each cycle costs RM5,000.

Upon seeing his condition, I suggested that Mat seek medical help. But he was adamant that he would not want to undergo any chemotherapy. Surgery has risks and Mat was not willing for go for surgery either. So I was stuck and had no choice but to prescribe him some herbs — Capsules A, C and D; M and Lympho 1 + SAP, Lympho 2 + PLM. Although there is “something” in his lung, I did not prescribe any Lung Tea. Why? I was not even sure if Mat should even take our herbs in the first place!

I warned Mat that if the herbs do not help him after a month, he should stop taking our herbs. Go and see the doctor instead. Remember, Mat is 51 years old and I do not wish to mislead him to do something which is not helpful for him!

This was what happened after THREE weeks on the herbs.

 

 

THREE MONTHS later, I met up with Mat again. Listen to our conversation that morning!

Comments

What can we learn from this amazing story.

  1. Almost all patients who came to see us had seen their doctors. Medical treatments failed them. That is fine with us. After all we are here to help such helpless people. However, not all patients who came to see us can be helped. When I received Mat’s email, my initial reaction was, Go and see the doctor and let him help you. But Mat was adamant. He wanted to see me. So, I agreed.

Unfortunately, not all patients are like Mat. Often I was “interviewed” by patients or their family members, before they would decide to follow our therapy. These people generally come here to find a “magic cure,” or to find healing on their own terms — never mind after having spent thousands of dollars for their failed medical treatments. To such people, I would generally say, Go home, think first before you take my herbs! This is my polite way of telling you, Please go and find someone else to help you.

  1. Mat presented with a “difficult” case indeed. I was not “confident” that the herbs would help him. But what else could I do — send him home empty handed? But then, trying taking herbs for two weeks would not hurt. So, let’s try, that is, if you still believe me! And now, I must say, the “gamble” is worth it. I never expected such an amazing result.

So, to all patients — can you benefit like Mat? Not likely if you are not committed to your healing. This is the most important take home lesson. If you are half hearted or unsure, please don’t follow our Therapy!

  1. When Mat started on the herbs, he experienced “healing crisis” which we have already forewarned him. He felt tired, sleepy and his legs itched more than before. In addition, due to our diet, he lost weight. I always tell patients there is nothing to worry about these. But, let me tell you, I have many emails from patients who were worried after experiencing these (in spite of being forewarned). To them, after taking herbs for a few days — this not right, that not right! Here pain, there pain! No, we cannot help such people.

So, this is another lesson patients should know — healing crisis.

  1. After Mat took the herbs for two weeks, the swelling in his neck shrunk by 3 cm! That is amazing. But it grew a bit bigger after attending a “wedding party.” This is another human nature that we have to contend with. Most patients will misbehave after they get well (or assumed that they get well). So Mat is not the only one who misbehaved.

One other lesson to learn from this case: If you want to get well, take care of your diet. If you want to die sooner, go eat anything you like. Of course, the “stubborn” ones will argue, But my doctor said I can eat anything I like. No need to “pantang”. Perhaps, such doctors don’t know much. Tell this to Mat. See what happened to him!

Then read what these good doctors tell us about cancer and diet:

5. After three months on the herbs, Mat seemed to be on the right path to healing. I once again suggested that he go to the doctor for help — perhaps, go for an operation or chemo! No, he and his wife would not take that suggestion.

I also warned Mat that this healing journey would be a long struggle. For example, we had a lymphoma patient who had three small lumps in the neck. It took THREE YEARS to shrink them. Mat has a much bigger and complex masses. We cannot predict if these can ever go away. But I have confidence that if Mat stick to his path faithfully, he can benefit from the herbs. As it is now, only after three months, his quality of life is better. He can turn his head, left and right, without problem. The mass is getting smaller. He leads a normal life.

What else do you want? Instant, magic cure? No way! This is my final message for those reading this.

 

 

Lymphoma: Swelling and lumps gone after CA Care Therapy. No chemo!

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capture3

 

Mas (not real name) is about 80 years old, an Indonesian lady from Aceh. Her neck was swollen and there were six lumps around her neck. The doctor in Jogjakarta did a biopsy and said it was a lymphoma. She was asked to undergo chemotherapy. The family refused the treatment. Not satisfied, her family brought her to Penang for further consultation. Same result, same advice. It is a lymphoma and she must go for chemo!

One of her sons, surfed the internet and found CA Care. Mas, together with her son and daughter came to seek our help.

 

 

Due to her advanced age and refusal to undergo chemotherapy, Mas had no other option. She wanted to try our herbs. I told her she had to take care of her diet as well. And after that, just pray and let’s see what happen!

After taking the herbs for about two month, one of her sons who had been taking care of her, came to our centre again. He reported that Mas was doing well. The lumps around her neck were gone, except one. Even this one had grown smaller. The swelling of her neck had subsided. Her skin itched but after the herbs, that problem too, disappeared.

One day, she drank tea with sugar. She had problems. This was resolved after reverting to the right diet.

Questions

  1. Would you subject Mas to chemotherapy if she was your mother?
  2. What is the purpose of chemo? To prolong her life or to terminate it in this case? To improve her quality of life or to make her more miserable?
  3. What now after the swelling, lumps and itch were gone? Stop the herbs and go back to the “bad” diet and old lifestyle again?

Advice

be-grateful

 

 

Lymphoma Part 3: Digging my own grave with my folk and spoon!

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Lymphoma Part 1: Eighty-percent-cure-rate-chemo Failed. No to Bone Marrow Transplant. I don’t want to die before my parents. 

Lymphoma Part 2: Healing in Progress After Two months on CA Care Therapy. Full of fear. But you would not die in December! 

Lymphoma Part 3:  Digging my own grave with my fork and spoon!

 

Forty-two-year-old Daisy had 6 cycles of chemo for her peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The treatment failed to cure her. The cancer relapsed 6 months after completion of her chemotherapy. She was asked to undergo more chemo and bone marrow transplantation. She refused and opted for CA Care Therapy instead. One year on, Daisy said she was not so worried about her cancer but her diet caused her much distress. I want to eat! 

Listen to this video.

 

Chris: The only thing that you cannot do is eat any “rubbish” that you like. Is that okay?

Daisy: Hm, hm. I have been tolerating this. I cannot help it. But sometimes I had the urged of wanting to eat …

C: Do you think one day, you would just say: Never mind la — eat and die, that’s okay.

D: Especially when I watched the cooking program on Astro … I felt like I wanted to eat and die, it’s okay.

C: You are already one year and you are not getting worse?

D: But I have been tolerating the food. During Christmas and Chinese New Year (CNY) everyone was eating …turkey, etc. and I could not eat. You know, I cried. They can eat but I cannot eat. I stayed home and cried.

C: So your main concern now is not cancer anymore? Now, food is more important? You worry about your food.

D: When people are alive, they want to eat (anything).

C: The last time when you came, you were so worried that you would die because of your cancer. Now do you still think that you are going to die?

D: No! I know I can live. Last time I was so worried that probably when I go to sleep I would not wake up the next morning.

C:  Ha, ha, is it not better (to die that way)? So today you go to sleep, you know that you would wake up?

D: I know, I know ( I can wake up).

Chinese New Year is coming – be careful with your diet!

C: Chinese New Year is coming. Don’t go and start eating “rubbish” ah.

D: Already two years I cannot eat. Since 2012 until now (2015) cannot eat, you know!

C: But you were supposed to die within four months! Now you’re well — you are healthy, you are okay. What do you want some more?

D: I want to eat. Eat first before I die.

C: Okay, if you want to eat, go and eat a lot. Eat a lot. To eat a piece of chicken and die … not worth it. It’s stupid. Eat a lot and then die. That’s okay.

D: I want to dig my own grave with my fork and spoon.

Gentle Warning: Itchy rashes that took months to go away

D: For two years, I never eat ….

C: What did you eat (during the Chinese New Year, 2015)?

D: I ate 2 kampung chicken eggs .. twice .. some CNY cookies … chocolates .. not much,  plus fish. After that …

Leg2

C: When you came home after eating all these …  any problem? Itchy?

D: No.

C: Before you ate all these, did you have such problem?

D:  No such problem. About one month after taking these CNY food this problem happened. I felt itchy and I started to scratch.

C:  And until today?

D: Yes, it’s already one and half months. It takes a long time to heal. Before I had cancer it was easy to heal.

C: Food is important. If they say you eat anything you like — that’s not true.

Comments

All patients who come to seek our help are always told: Apart from taking the herbs, you have to take care of your diet. You cannot eat anything you like. We would also want to remind everyone, if you can’t take care of your diet, there is not point coming to see us. We would not be able to help you. This is because food  ….

1 deVita

The unhappiness expressed by Daisy in this case, is understandable. Most patients would not want to change. The moment they get well — when they don’t feel that they are going to die anymore  — they will come with all the excuses for wanting to forget what we tell them about food.

One classical example that came to mind now is the case of an Indonesia lady who had lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy and almost died from the treatment. After the treatment the cancer recurred. There was a hard swelling on her cheek. She was asked to undergo more chemotherapy. She was not prepared to accept that anymore.  She told us that she prayed that God would grant her the strength to come and see Chris Teo in Penang. Then if she died after that she would be satisfied. We took care of this lady for three years and she was well. The swelling in her cheek was gone. Then, the “monster within” started to awaken. She told us that she had been taking the herbs for so long. It caused much strain on her children, etc., etc. We knew what her real problem was! We also knew that if the heart would not want to change there is nothing we can do to help.

Later, we were told she went to Singapore for a holiday. Ate  …. (we did not know what). After she came home to Jakarta, her stomach became bloated. That was when she wrote us for help. Our answer was: Go to the doctor and ask for help. She had chemotherapy. After the second shot of chemo, she died.

This is another lymphoma case. This story is beyond our comprehension. TL was a 59-year-old man. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in September 2012. Like the Indonesian lady above, he had surgery to remove part of his stomach. He was subsequently asked to undergo chemotherapy which he declined.

He came to seek our help in October 2012. From the very beginning we explained to TL that it would be futile to take our herbs without taking care of his diet. In short, he must eat rightly and under no circumstances take junk food.

On many visits, TL asked us about what food to eat and what food not to eat,  giving us the impression that he was eating right!

About 8 months later, TL suffered a relapse.  It shocked us to learn that all along TL had been pretending and  “cheating” on himself as far as his diet was concerned.  Listen to his “confession” that day (4 November 2013).

A few days after this “confession”, TL checked into the hospital, underwent medical procedures and died while in the hospital.
Why did he play such a game and cheated himself?  We cannot understand.

One outstanding lymphoma case is that of Devi. She had radiotherapy and was well. But about a year later, her cancer recurred. She was asked to go for chemotherapy.  She had chemo but at the same time started to take herbs and change her diet and lifestyle. From 1998 to this day (2015) Devi stayed on course and is extremely well.

https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/07/05/the-story-of-devi-a-lady-lawyer-about-40-years-old-afflicted-by-non-hodgkin%E2%80%99s-lymphoma/

Chris: Why were you on morphine?

Devi: Because I was in pain. The moment I consumed food, I had very severe pain. I was lying in the hospital for two weeks until one day I went berserk because I had an overdose of morphine…I was not getting any better. I discharged myself (from the hospital)….I went to a clinic that practised chelation therapy and the doctor asked me what sort of diet I was on? I was told to stop taking solid food and to go on fruits, vegetables, semi-solids and fluids. Within two days on the recommended diet, the pain was gone. 

C: Did you take any other medication? 

D: No. I was only on the diet, no medication whatsoever. I was on fruits, vegetables and semi-solids. Within a month, my digestive system was back to normal. 

C: After the radiation, you thought you were cured. Did you go back to your old diet? 

Yes, I went back to my old lifestyle. I forgot about the fruit juices. I had a relapse of the cancer, this time in the abdominal region.

The doctor said radiation was out. I went for six cycles of chemotherapy. 

Devi came to seek our help and was well. 

C: What about your diet?

D: I am more of a vegetarian now, I keep off red meat and sea food except for fish. I eat fruits and vegetables. 

C: Some people say that if I cannot take my favourite food, life if not worth living. What is your comment to that ? 

D: What I have to say to those people is, life is worth more than just your favourite food. It is a very small sacrifice to make. Life is much more that just food. 

C: You were a meat eater before and now you are a vegetarian. Many people say that if you don’t eat meat, you have no strength. What have you got to say about that? 

D: No, not really. In fact, I feel much healthier now that I cut meat out of my diet. I have not lost energy at all. 

Patients, you have a choice — to live or to die. If you wish to live, CHANGE — your lifestyle and your diet.

The choice is yours!

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Lymphoma Part 2: Healing in Progress After Two months on CA Care Therapy. Full of fear. But you would not die in December!

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Lymphoma Part 1: Eighty-percent-cure-rate-chemo Failed. No to Bone Marrow Transplant. I don’t want to die before my parents. 

Lymphoma Part 2: Healing in Progress After Two months on CA Care Therapy. Full of fear. But you would not die in December! 

Lymphoma Part 3:  Digging my own grave with my fork and spoon!

 

Daisy, 42 years old, was diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, Stage 2. She underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Six months after the completion of her treatment, the lymphoma relapsed and Daisy was asked to undergo more treatment — 4 cycles of high dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous transplant (BMT — bone marrow transplant).

Daisy felt that she would not survive the BMT procedure. But without BMT Daisy was given the impression that she would also die — within four months. By December she would be gone! Daisy was in a dilemma and came to seek our help. She was started on herbs and was told to take care of her diet.

In  October 2013 — after two months of the herbs  — Daisy shared her anxiety, fear, frustrations and wishful hope! Watch this video.

 

 

Lymph nodes grew bigger after 2 months on herbs. Oncologist did not show any concern — Go and continue taking your herbs! 

Two months on our CA Care Therapy, Daisy came back to us. She was full of anxiety and fear. She just went to see her oncologist and was told that the swollen lymph nodes had grown bigger.  Since she did not proceed with the BMT, her oncologist was not interested to talk further with her and instead cynically asked her to go ahead and take the herbs. 

Daisy did a blood test and an ultrasound.

White Cell count 1.71  Low
Lymphocyte 0.44  L
Red blood count 3.55  L
Platelets 160
LDH 254  High

USG on 30 September 2013 indicated:

  • Bilateral enlarged cervical nodes … the largest at the left submandibula measuring 1.7 x 0.7 cm and at the left posterior triangle, 1.4 x 0.5 cm.
  • Enlarged axillary nodes seen bilaterally. The largest node is seen at the left axilla measuring 1.9 x 2.3 cm and 1.8 x 2.2 cm.
  • A hypoechoiec nodule seen within the subcutaneous plane at the left posterior scapular region measuring 1.5 x 0.6 cm.

For the above consultation, the total bill came to RM 774.00 made up of the following:

  1. Lab test RM 202.00
  2. Ultrasound examination RM 480.00
  3. X-ray RM 42.00
  4. Consultation (oncologist) RM  50.00

Like most patients who come and see us, they like to go for a scan after taking our herbs for a month or two! That is unrealistic! Our herbs are not magic bullets. Healing takes time.

The results showed the lumps had gone bigger! We told Daisy, You are just asking for unnecessary problem!

Daisy: What if the lumps grow bigger and bigger? 

Chris: Yes, that is always the concern of patients … and of course ours too. But what can we do? Is there another alternative? 

No! Daisy said she would not go for any chemo, radiotherapy or surgery. She would like to stick on with our herbs.

We told Daisy — we wish we could cure her or promise her a cure but we know we would be dishonest if we do that.

Promising false assurance is cruel and sinful!  We would not be able to ensure any positive outcome even though we have helped so many lymphoma patients before.

The only advice we could give is: Don’t panic, relax. This implies patients need to believe and trust.

Good thing is, Daisy seemed to trust us. She knew what it was like to undergo chemotherapy. The fact that she survived the 6 cycles of chemo earlier was already fortunate. Then, she was told that her CHOP chemotherapy would give her a 80 percent chance of cure. But this is not true! Barely 6 months after the completion of her chemo, the lymphoma recurred.  Where is that 80 percent chance?

After the relapse, the oncologist offered BMT and said the cure rate would be 50 to 60 percent but the procedure would be more drastic, invasive and expensive — RM 100,000.

Daisy had lost confidence with medical treatment. Probably this was the driving force that made her come to seek our help. She said she would rather “gamble” her life with our herbs.

Are you getting worse after taking the herbs? You wouldn’t die in December! 

Even though the lumps had grown in sizes, Daisy did not feel any worse. Actually she was doing fine … except for the knowledge that the lumps were getting bigger! Daisy was given the impression that without BMT she would only have 4 months to live. So by December she would be gone! No, during our discussion in October 2013, Daisy did not show any sign that she was about to die. We told Daisy: You are not going to die in December! 

(Daisy continued to get well and is still alive after 2 years. Most of the lumps that made her worry so much earlier on had almost disappeared!) Question: What if she were to undergo the Bone Marrow Transplant?

 

 

 

Lymphoma Part 1: Eighty-percent-cure-rate-chemo Failed. No to Bone Marrow Transplant. I don’t want to die before my parents

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Lymphoma Part 1: Eighty-percent-cure-rate-chemo Failed. No to Bone Marrow Transplant. I don’t want to die before my parents. 

Lymphoma Part 2: Healing in Progress After Two months on CA Care Therapy. Full of fear. But you would not die in December! 

Lymphoma Part 3:  Digging my own grave with my fork and spoon!

 

Daisy (not real name) was 42 years when her problem started around July/August 2012. She found lumps in her arm pit and groin. The lumps grew bigger. She went to a private hospital. A biopsy was done.  She was told she had peripheral T cell lymphoma, Stage 2.

Daisy underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy  — CHOP regimen. The treatment cost RM 40,000 — paid for by her insurance company. She suffered severe side effects: nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, numbness, loss of appetite, chest pain, constipation and hair loss.

Daisy said she almost died after 3 chemos, but she  managed to complete the scheduled 6 cycles by January 2013.

Chris: Before chemotherapy, did you ask the oncologist if the treatment was going to cure you?

Daisy: The oncologist said, “There is a 80 percent cure rate.” It was just a Stage 2 cancer.

C: You believe that?

D: Yes and I was happy!

Everything went well for Daisy during the initial stage after the completion of the treatment. She went back to work.  Unfortunately, soon afterwards she found a lump in her left arm just above her elbow and also swelling of her axillary lymph nodes,  but she did not tell her doctor. She thought there was nothing to worry about since she had just completed the treatment. However, during the second follow up she told her oncologist about the lump. In July 2013, Daisy had surgery to remove the lump in the arm. Histology confirmed recurrence of the T cell lymphoma.

A whole body CT scan was done on 30 July 2013 and indicated the following:

  • There are bilateral multiple mildly enlarged cervical nodes which are increased in size when compared with the previous scan. The largest node measures 14 mm.
  • Bilateral mild to moderately enlarged axillary nodes have increased both in number and size since the previous scan. The largest node the left axilla measures 13 x 8 mm.

The oncologist told Daisy that she had no other option but to go for  BMT – bone marrow transplant. She would need to undergo 4 cycles of high dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous transplant.

 C: Can BMT cure you? 

D: The oncologist said the cure rate is 50 to 60 percent. 

C: You believe that? Previously he said chemo would give you an 80 percent chance and you had a recurrence.                                                                          

The BMT procedure would cost RM 100,000 and this would be paid for by the insurance company.

C: So, that’s free treatment, why don’t you want to go for it. 

D: I am afraid I would just die. My father and mother are still alive. That’s why, I don’t want to die before them. 

C: I understand, if your father has to bury you … no, I don’t like the idea either. 

C: How many sisters and brothers do you have? 

D: Six. 

C: What did they say? 

D: All of them do not know what to do. 

C: Good to have sisters and brothers like that. At least they don’t fight among themselves for trying to be too smart.

Now, go home and decide what you want to do. After you have made your decision, there will be a lot of people who will say this or that! 

Don’t worry. Learn how to take care of yourself. Go home. Pray that God will tell you what is the right thing for you to do. Don’t eat anything you like. Above all, be friends with your cancer. No need to fight with the cancer. 

For more, watch this video. 

 

 

 

Lessons From Son’s Death From Pediatric Burkitt’s Lymphoma

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A few hours ago, I received  an email from a father informing me that his 5-year old son died about a month after the family came to seek our help. Let me share this story with you.

Dear Dr. Chris,

Herewith I inform you, after some time of deep grief, that my beloved son, Reynald, couldn’t make it. He passed away on April 12, 2014 at around 5am.

He has confessed with his child-like-style: Lord Jesus is in my heart, Papa is in my heart, around 9 p.m. on April 11.

He’s now no longer suffering, and by God’s grace, I received revelation that he is in heaven with Jesus, and no pain.

Thank you for your supports so far and so sorry for bothering you at that time, the day you met me, and the day you met me, my wife and Reynald.

Although it’s been five months after his death, I write this with shivering inside my heart, although I know Rey had been safe, with God, and I know that death is not we should be afraid of, but what we expect for with our death, we will use our undecayed body to reunite with God.

Thank you for giving me a challenge at that time: NOT how long we will live or our chance to live, BUT how we’re going to die. That’s the important thing. Your statement was deeply planted in my mind.

Now I and my wife, have changed a lot in our perspective about life and death:

  1. As long as we live, we will serve God, Lord Jesus, with all we have: heart and mind, while paying attention to raise our daughter, Clarissa– Rey’s younger sister. We, both, do not question or are disappointed with God, or retreat from God, BUT we serve God whole-heartedly, while we’re also working to make a living. I serve in Discipleship, while my wife is Praise & Worship singer. We both lead cell group since Rey was healthy till now.
  2. Death is no longer something scary, BUT more to be like: Death is something that all men will face some day, and it’s a gate to eternity with God. 

But for sure, you are the first — the one and only doctor — I ever met that give a question or a challenge to think about “life and death” perspective.

I combined the ECCT therapy with your herbal therapy, which actually makes the lumps gone on April 11, 2014, but again, God’s plan is not our plan. Reynald is the first child patient in Surabaya since the  ECCT  (Electro Capacitive Cancer Therapy) institution was built in March 2014. I’ve met this doctor, and he and his team prioritized my son in his ECCT vest production, and they even prayed with tears and hope for my son to cure.

I believe there’s no coincidence to meet you there in Penang, to be a part of my life’s journey. Thanks for being a blessing in our life. Hope that your ministry is a blessing to a lot more people and give much deeper impacts to their lives.

God bless you.

Regards from Surabaya,

H & S (Reynald’s parents)

Reply: Thank you H & S for this sad news but I am real happy that your son’s death is not in vain. I know it is hard to overcome the grief  … all of us need to go through this period. But know that even when your son came to this world for a short time he had a message to tell you and me. Then  he left to be with the Lord .

Over the past few weeks I have read 3 books about people who died and went to heaven and they came back to earth again to write their stories. It is amazing….heaven is real and God is real. There is no doubt that your son is happy there with the Lord.

So know that your son is happy and well with the Lord … and it is real. I am glad and blessed to know that you benefited from this cancer experience … we need to lead a spiritual life …all of us are eternal souls who come to this world for human experience. Our shell  dies and rots away but our soul lives forever.

I praise God that your faith is much strengthened from this sad event. Amen.

Four-year-9-month with Burkitt’s  Lymphoma

This sad story started with an e-mail I received on 4 March 2014: Paediatric Gastro Case from Surabaya – REYNALD HARVEY WIBISONO (4 yr 9 mo) – now is judged in as Burkitt’s lymphoma (I’m in PENANG now)

Dear Doctor Chris,

My name is HW, from Surabaya – Indonesia. I’m in Penang to have my son’s health checked (since Sunday Feb 23, 2014 – my son is in Gleneagles since Tuesday Feb 25, 2014). Just got info from my friend to ask you to seek second opinion.

To give you a brief of the story, I attach all the report tests taken in Surabaya, then what has been tested in Penang, will be written down side below.

My son, 4 yr 9 mo old, Reynald, has had several tests in Mitra Keluarga Hosital Surabaya which lead to “ suspected Ca gaster” with unconfirmed tests below :

  • Endoscopy & CT Scan reading which stated “probably” Ca Gaster
  • Blood Test which didn’t support those two tests.
  • PA Test which didn’t show : no malignancy
  • Thorax radiology : normal

Composite pix

My son’s and my family health history and chronology :

  1. We don’t have any cancer history in our bloodline (me & my wife) – up to our grandparents.
  2. I have allergic history to seafood (childhood), but not my wife.
  3. My son doesn’t like fruit.
  4. The symptom was started on Jan 20, 2014by vomiting and diarrhea, once only, each. There were several times of pain in his gaster (just complaining but not so bad), and no fever.
  5. By Jan 27, 2014, the pain was getting stronger (but after belching or farting, it’s soon ended). We went to a pediatrician, which suspected: Helicobacter pylori infection. The treatment was 2 antibiotics + 1 H2 blocker (gabbryl + abbotic + ranitidine) for 1 week.
  6. By Feb 3, the pain was there, and was still treated with 2 antibiotics + 1 H2 blocker (gabbryl + abbotic + ranitidine) for 1 week (bloodtest showed negative for H. pylori, but HB was 8), but consumed until Feb 6when we decided to go to gastroenterologist in Surabaya which suggested to do 1 full month of food allergic self test before doing endoscopy. But then I decided to meet other gastroenterologist (suggested by the previous one) to have endoscopy, which then decided to be executed in Monday 10Peb14.
  7. By Feb 10, endoscopy test was done which was suspected as Ca Gaster due to the presence of 3 lumps in the my son’s gaster.Early blood test was taken and showed negative for H. pylori, and theHB was still 8, so that blood transfusion (B+) was done100mL. Samples for PA was taken.
  8. By Feb 11, CT Scan and Thorax radiology tests were taken. Blood transfusion (B+) was done another100ml.
  9. By Feb 12, complete blood test including CEA Marker test was taken but the CEA Market was only 0.83 & CRP was only 2.The HB showed in the test was increasing,to be 11.5. Complete result was attached.
  10. By Feb 14, the biopsy test result found no malignancy
  11. By Feb 15, we decided to leave the hospital since there’s no decision from the team of doctors (paediatric gastroenterologists, paediatric surgeon) — what it is, and how to treat this.

Some actions taken by me & medication given after leaving the hospitals were :

  1. I stopped giving milk (Pediasure S26), and any dairy products such as cheese, breads, tea drinks, chocolate containing food & beverage, fried food, any fabricated sausage & nugget, since Peb 13 until now.
  2. I started giving honey + propolis to replace milk by Feb 13 until now, and giving porridge / misoa (rice noddle) / mushy rice and grounded steamed beef / finely shredded beef, no chicken, no fish/seafood to avoid food allergic.
  3. I started giving meals 5-6x/day with smaller portion by Feb 14, rather than 3x/day previously
  4. Medication taken and given since leaving hospital under paediatric gastroenterologist’s suggestion were : Neciblok Sucralfate suspension (3X daily, 5cc), Ranivel Syrup Ranitidine 75mg/5mL (2X daily, 5cc), Nexium esomeprazole 20mg tablet (2X daily, 1 tablet).
  5. Oral pain killer (paracetamol) given after the IV was removed by Thu Peb 13. The dosage was paracetamol 20mg divided into 3 packs of powder, and given once in Fri Peb 14 dawn, once in Sat Peb 15 dawn, once in Sun Peb 16 almost midnite. Then I continue with Dumin syrup (paracetamol), 5ml this early morning (around 3:30am)

Some symptoms I observed  BEFORE and AFTER Feb. 13:

  1. BEFORE: sound of abdominal bloating which then followed by severe pain in my son’s stomach, usually happened once (in between Peb 3-9) in between 2.30 – 4am and once in between morning (after breakfast) till evening (after dinner), and soon disappear after a very foul smell fart.  AFTER: sound of abdominal bloating which then followed by less severe pain in my son’s stomach, only happened once (in between Feb 3-9) in between 2.30 – 4am, and soon disappear after a very foul smell fart.
  2. BEFORE: frequency of less severe pain (beside the severe ones) in my son’s stomach, usually happened 3-4 times in between morning (after breakfast) till evening (after dinner), and soon disappear after a smell fart/belching. AFTER: only happened 2-3 times.
  3. When the pain referred by #1 above is happening, I fingered my child’s stomach and could feel a lump under his chest (upper abdomen)
  4. Both BEFORE and AFTER  are the same : no fever, no vomiting (except once in Jan 20 & twice in Feb 8), normal faeces, weight in between 15-16 kgs, while his height is about 102cm.

Now, in Gleneagles Penang, my son is diagnosed as “favour to Burkitt’s Lymphoma”.

  1. Monday, meet paediatric surgeon, then let the Pantai Hospital pathologist did a review of the biopsy sample taken in Surabaya that I brought. It was claimed as LYMPHOMA, then further PA was taken to make sure.
  2. Tuesday, before steroid treatment, all blood test was normal, except LDH 275, HB 10.5, albumin was lesser than minimum limit for kid.
  3. Wednesday, after steroid treatment, all blood test was normal
  4. Friday, after steroid treatment, all blood test was normal
  5. Saturday, after steroid treatment, all blood test was normal, except HB was 8.7
  6. Sunday (yesterday), after steroid treatment, blood transfusion was done at 150mL.
  7. Monday (this afternoon), the further PA reading was given:

IMMUNOHISTOLOGY (the atypical cells are positive for CD20 and almost all cells exhibit MIB-1 activity. The cells are negative for bcl-2 and strongly positive for bcl-6. The cells are consistently negative for Tdt (x2).

MICROSCOPIC DESCRIPTION (the sections of the gastric biopsy show reactive lymphoid follicles as well as a focus of malignant lymphoid infiltration of the lamina. The cells are medium sized and exhibit prominent nuclei, with prominent granular chromatin and nucleoli, occasionally multiple mitoses are seen, and lymphoepithelial lesions are not seen.

DIAGNOSIS (mucosal infiltration by high grade B cell lymphoma, favour Burkitt lymphoma)

  1. In the faeces, there’s no blood within this week.

9. The quickest action suggested must be done by Wednesday Mar 5, 2014 are :

  • Bone Marrow Test
  • Chemo drug into the brain to prevent B cell spread
  • Prepare a chemopot in the chest

Since those 3 actions are scary, could you please prioritize your time to see me ? I’ll go to your clinic.

Looking forward to your reply urgently. Regards, HH.

Reply: Come and see me as soon as you can. 

On 4 March 2014, H came to see me and we talked. It was indeed a very sober occasion. Our hearts were heavy. I asked H to consider the following points seriously.

  1. Facing Reality of the Treatment Outcome

The doctors in Surabaya was unsure of what Rey had but suggested chemotherapy. In Penang the doctors said it could be Burkitt’s Lymphoma and the treatment must be carried out right away. Bone marrow would be extracted from his lumbar, a hole to be drilled in his head and a chemopot installed in his chest.

My question: Can this procedure and treatment cure Rey?

H was told: The treatment has a high chance of success.

Indeed in the net we can read these: 

  • More than half of patients with Burkitt’s lymphoma can be cured with intensive chemotherapy. The cure rate may be lower if the cancer spreads to the bone marrow or spinal fluid. The outlook is poor if the cancer comes back after a remission or does not go into remission as a result of the first cycle of chemotherapy. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001308.htm
What is the long-term outlook for a child with Burkitt’s lymphoma? Your child’s prognosis greatly depends on:
  1. the extent of the disease
  2. presence or absence of metastasis
  3. response to therapy
  4. your child’s age and overall health
  5. tolerance of specific medications, procedures or therapies
  • As with any cancer, prognosis and long-term survival can vary greatly. Prompt medical attention and aggressive therapy are important for the best prognosis, and continuous follow-up care is essential. http://www.dana-farber.org/Health-Library/Childhood-Burkitt-s-Lymphoma.aspx
  •  Treatment of limited stage (stage I and II) Burkitt lymphomas is usually very successful, with a cure rate of over 90%. The cure rate for children with more advanced (stage III or IV) Burkitt lymphoma ranges from about 80% to 90%. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkinlymphomainchildren/detailedguide/non-hodgkin-lymphoma-in-children-staging
  • Age at diagnosis is a significant prognostic factor. Broadly speaking, older patients have poorer outcomes. Similar pediatric data are not yet available. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/987540-overview#aw2aab6b2b4
  • The overall prognosis for children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma has steadily improved. The projected 10-year survival rate for children diagnosed in 2005-2009 was 90.6%.
  • In the United States, 80% of children treated for early-stage Burkitt’s Lymphoma remain free from relapse three years after treatment. http://www.hannasheartsofhope.org/burkitts_Lymphoma.php
  • Survival statistics can sometimes be useful as a general guide, but they can’t predict what will happen in any child’s case. The ranges of numbers given below are based on the results of several studies that have used different treatment regimens or included slightly different groups of patients.
  • The diagnosis of a lymphoma in children is rare. There are about 500 new cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosed each year in kids in the United States. It may occur at any age during childhood, but is rare before age 3. http://www.lymphomation.org/type-childhood.htm
  • Short-Term and Long-Term Side Effects: Intensive lymphoma chemotherapy affects the bone marrow, causing anemia and bleeding problems, and increasing the risk for serious infections. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments have many other side effects — some short-term (such as hair loss, changes in skin color, increased infection risk, and nausea and vomiting) and some long-term (such heart and kidney damage, reproductive problems, thyroid problems, or the development of another cancer later in life).
  • Relapses:  Although most kids do recover from lymphoma, some with severe disease will have a reoccurrence. For these children, bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants are among the newest treatment options. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer_lymphoma.html#

My question: While statistics say the kind of lymphoma that Rey has could be successfully treatment, this statistics may not be applicable to Rey. What is the oncologist’s personal experience? Has he ever treated 10 or 100 of such cases himself in his clinic? And for such cases, how many are cured? Merely relying on statistics of what others do may appear “scientific” but could be meaningless. 

  1. Facing Financial Reality 

My question: How much is the treatment going to cost?

H was told: A cycle of chemo cost about RM 5,000, Chemopot – RM 4,000 – 5,000.  The initial treatment of 6 cycles could come to about RM 40,000 to 50,000.

My question: What happen after the 6 cycles of chemo? Will Rey need more chemo? That means more money for more treatment. Let us assume that in total the total cost of  treatment finally comes to RM 100,000. Do you have that kind of money to spend?

H told me: He would borrow or sell his house to come up with that amount. It also means, he will be financially drained and ruined. He would have nothing left to take care of his family and do his business.

My comment: It may be okay to cough out that kind of money if Rey can be cured. What if he is not cured? Money gone and son lost. 

  1. Facing Death 

Everybody with cancer wants to find a cure — cure means the disease goes away and will not come back. Unfortunately, cure is elusive even though the “response to treatment” could be high, as reported in medical literature. But response does not mean cure.

Some years ago I had a 2-month-old baby with neuroblastoma, Stage 4. The doctor scolded the parents for declining chemotherapy. I clearly remember that morning when the baby’s parents came to my house and sat down to talk (and cried) for 2 hours. The first question I asked was: How do you want your baby to die? Natural death or die while doing the chemo? The mother replied she preferred her baby to die naturally. Then my respond was: Let’s do nothing and takes some herbs! Stop feeding her milk. Change to fruit juices. Today, this baby is a normal 15 year-old. (Note: this case is unique and does not necessarily apply to Rey at all. Each one has his/her own healing path).

What could have happened if she was to undergo the chemo as suggested by the doctor? Will she be still alive?

Even if she was cured, what would be the chances of her getting another cancer as a result of the earlier toxic treatment?

I reminded H that while we all hope that the chemo would cure Rey, we also need to face reality that he might die because of the treatment. So, how do you want Rey to die?

This is what I told H: “Go back and discuss this matter with your wife. Call your parents in Surabaya and talk this out with them.  Then make your own decision.”

The next morning, 5 March 2014, H and his wife and 5-year-old Rey came to our centre. This time, our conversation was more cheerful. It appeared to me that H seemed to be more confident. He had made up his mind. No chemo! He wanted to try the herbs.

I made it clear to H and his wife. I have no magic bullet to cure Rey. The herbs may be able to make his life a bit better but don’t expect a cure. If his condition deteriorates, they should ask for medical help.

I must confess that every time a child came to our centre for help, my heart sank. I knew this would be an uphill battle. How is a young person / baby understand that he/she has to drink bitter herbs every day? And many times a day. Then the diet has to be changed. No sweets, etc., etc. It is hard. Under such circumstances, we could only try our best.