Cancer of the Uterus: After 17 years still alive!

Healing Cancer is about care and love. To heal is about YOU, your attitude and your belief

Good morning Dr. Chris,

Just to share my experience with you …

Mary with Ovarian Cancer

This lady had a stage for Stage 4 ovarian CA who came last Feb 2016, seeking for 2nd opinion, her name is Mary (not real name). Apparently she rejected conventional therapy. But the alternative cancer therapy she switched to also gave her chemo but in a non-standard small dosage (carboplatin 5X, radiotherapy 27X) for palliative purpose.

She came seeking for a cure, I told her herbs don’t cure cancers, they only help to heal the body. This concept sounded so foreign to her that she lost confidence and went to the other alternative medical doctor. I told myself “that is fine”, that patient will not do well also if she had started herbs because her mindset is not right.

Julie with Breast Cancer

Fast forward one year later, she came and brought her friend (Julie) who has Stage 4 Ca breast with metastasis to bone and liver. By this action I knew Mary agreed with what I said last year and she still trusts me. She wanted me to help her friend.

But I felt vulnerable. Julie has been having chemo from China and locally — now in a bad shape, short of having herself killed.

If I were to start the herbs and she dies, her family members will think that the herbs kill her. I was reluctant to start her on herbs because her expectations were wrong and she still has not given up with the chemo-alternative therapy.

She is one person with one foot here and another foot there. She could not make up her mind. She is confused, scared and suffering.

My observations

Personally both patients wanted to get out of their current treatment but has invested too much in it (to the tune of RM 400k), but too scared.

They are still not grasping the reality that cancer cannot be cured.

And the doctor (not oncologist), when failed in her alternative therapy such as GCMAF and thymus therapy, encouraged patient to go for chemo.

And the oncologist in the hospital then told her that chemotherapy is also divided to conventional chemo — the high dose — and the alternative low dose chemo, but off label used mainly for palliation.

Naturally the patient opted for ‘alternative-chemo’.

In hindsight, comparing my patients with these two patients treated by another ‘alternative doctor’:

1) My CA patients eventually becomes calm, happy, and have a positive outlook of life and prepared to go, cherishing each day as if it was their last.

In contrast, Mary and Julie are still seeking for ‘better’ treatment as long as their finances allows them. They are worried, seeking second opinion for reassurance that what they are doing is right.

2) My CA patients are free to switch or stop their current treatment with herbs and do anything that they think is better or is able to help them. And even when they decide to change, they somehow are still in good terms with me and would sometimes refer their friends who needed help to me.

Whereas, Mary and Julie were initially promised (guaranteed) many things — their confidence boosted. Then later they discovered that such promises were not fulfilled and the guarantee was false.

When they confronted the doctor, the guilt and fear trap was laid by the doctor. Blaming patient for what they did wrong and they would die if they continue to do the ‘wrong’ thing (like stopping their treatment).

Out of fear, they continued with more treatment with the same doctor which they have begun to distrust.

Later on, they will speak negatively about this doctor and tell their friends to avoid this doctor.

That is how I found out about what this doctor is doing.

I am seeing her wither and die in front of me and I cannot and dare not do anything. Very sad.

Best regards,

Dr. Julian

Note: GcMAF is a protein produced by modification of vitamin D-binding protein. Proponents of GcMAF claim that it is an immunomodulatory protein that has antitumor properties and strengthens the immune system by macrophage activation.

You taking herb? It would not work! Now, the herb works!

LF is 51-year-old lady. In September 2015, she had bleeding every day. She went to a GP. USG was done but the doctor found nothing wrong. She was given hormone pill to take. She also took supplements. They seemed to help. But, her problem did not go away.

LF suffered heavy bleeding and this made her go and consult a gynaecologist. She was given some medications but they were not effective. Then, her stomach became bloated. She consulted another GP who told her it was cancer.

Eventually LF was referred to a private hospital and did a CT scan. And there it was a mass of soft tissue, measuring 5 x 3.8 x 4.3 cm on the right side of the lower abdomen/pelvis. There was also fluid in the lungs and abdomen (pleural effusion and ascites).

The ascitic fluid contained malignant cells with features suggestive of metastatic adenocarcinoma.

LF underwent surgery immediately. It was a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The appendix and omentum were also removed.

According to the histopathology report, it was a well-differentiated endometriod adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus. Stage 1A. In addition, LF also had a left ovarian tumour with metastasis to the omentum. It was at least stage 3A cancer.

LF was told to commence with follow-up chemotherapy 3 to 4 weeks after the surgery. LF decided not to undergo chemotherapy. She took Sabah Snake grass (SSG) instead — 70 leaves, twice a day.

CT scan done in August 2016, showed enlargement of the para aortic lymph nodes. There was no free fluid in the pelvis.

Her CA 19.9 was at 322.6 before the surgery and this dropped to 30.3 after the surgery. A few months later it went up to 35.0.

Her CA 19.9 also increased from 29.7 to 69.9 and progressed to 105.6 (see Table below). It was at this point in time that LF decided to come and seek our help. She presented with abdominal discomfort and severe numbness of the legs.

Less than 3 months on the herbs, her health improved! Her abdominal discomfort disappeared and the numbness of her legs was almost resolved. Of course, she had stopped taking the SSG.

On 9 August 2016, her CA 19.9 was at 105.6 and after taking the herbs, on 2 November 2016, her CA 19.9 was 30.0 (within normal range).

One lesson we can learn from this case. LF’s husband told me this.

I went to have the blood test done in my friend’s lab. I told him, My wife is taking herbs and does not want to go for chemotherapy. The doctor said, Herbs will not work! Three months later, this same doctor said, Yes, now the herbs work! Because the CA 19.9 came tumbling down from 105.6 to 30.0 (normal range).

Good news also comes with “bad” news! LF expressed her concern that she might have to go back to teach now! Why? Because her blood test showed she was normal!

Besides that, disaster may also follow good news! LF may believe that she is really “cured” and will become complacent! She may go back to the previous life style and eat what she likes! I warned LF — The cancer will come back again if you do that! There is no cure for cancer. There is no question, that LF’s cancer is serious. It has spread. Feeling better and the CA 19.9 came down to 30 does not mean that she is cured.

Ovarian Cancer: Surgeon said, ten patients had chemo, ten patients died. Chemo would cost IDR 120 to 240 million — cost of a house!

Lan is a 55-year-old Indonesian lady. About two months ago, August 2016, her stomach felt bloated and she passed out “oily” urine. She consulted one doctor after another (five in all) and was told she had gastric problems. One doctor in Jakarta examined her and said there was nothing wrong with her! She was given medications by these doctors, but her problem persisted.

She eventually consulted a doctor in a private hospital in Jakarta. A blood test, done on 22 September 2016, showed her CA 125 was at 4,563.8 (normal = 35.0) and her GGT was elevated at 92.0 (normal 9.0 – 36.0). The rest of the blood parameters were within normal range.

A CT scan, done the next day, showed a cystic lesion in the right ovary, measuring 3.5 x 2.85 x 2.0 cm. There was a bit of fluid in the lower lobes of her lungs.

Lan underwent a total hysterectomy on 28 September 2016. The operation was done in Jakarta and cost IDR 49 million. Before the surgery, 3 liters of fluid was tapped out of her abdomen.

Histopathology report confirmed a malignant well differentiated adenocarcinoma, probably originating from the ovary.

As a “standard operating procedure” the surgeon suggested that Lan undergo 4 to 6 cycles of chemotherapy since there is no knowing if the cancer had already spread to other organs.

Lan asked the surgeon if chemo was going to cure her. The surgeon replied: From my experience (practising in Germany for 30 plus years) ten patients had chemo, ten patients did.

Lan returned to her hometown and consulted a gynae-oncologist. Lan was told that the doctor in Jakarta who operated on her did not remove the cancer completely. From the USG, he told Lan that the cancer had spread all over. Lan sensed that this gynae-oncologist was not happy with her because she did go to him for the operation but instead went to Jakarta for the operation. Lan had consulted this gynae-oncologist before her operation.

Anyway, according to the gynae-oncologist, Lan had to undergo 6 to 12 cycles of chemo. Each cycle of chemo would cost IDR 20 million.

Chris: That means with 12 cycles it is going to cost you IDR 240 million? Is that big money?

Daughter: That is roughly what a house would cost — IDR 240 million.

C: So, if you spend IDR 240 and is cured, it is okay. If you die, 240 million gone and a house also fly away. Did you ask this gynae-oncologist if the chemo he is giving you is going to cure you?

D: The doctor said: Mungkin sembuh (probably can cure) tergantung kepada semangat hidup Anda (it all depends on your will to live).

C: Did you ask if he has any medicine to make “your will to live” stronger?

My advice to Lan and his family members that morning:

You now know that chemo cannot cure you for sure. And according to the Jakarta surgeon, ten patients underwent chemo, ten of them died. What does that tell you?
You know that chemo will make your life miserable — all those side effects. That is, if chemo does not kill you and if you continue to live.
Chemo is going to cost you a house — IDR 240 million.
I cannot tell you to go for chemo or not to go. It is up to you to make your own decision.
Even you take my herbs, there will be no cure. But at least, by taking the herbs and taking care of the diet, it is not going to cost you a house!
I don’t know of any way to get out of this. You go for chemo, you will die one day. Take my herbs, you will also die. So what path do you want to take?
I also warned Lan that our therapy is not easy to follow. The herbs taste awful. And she has to take care of her diet.

My advice to all patients: We don’t have any magic bullet for your problem. Our therapy is not easy to follow. If you cannot cope with that, then please do not come and see us.

CanSurvive Workshop 17 September 2016: Sharing Our Experiences

The second part of the workshop was about sharing experiences. We were glad to have six panelists to come on stage to share their experiences. Here are what they said:

Truth from different perspectives

My first patient (prostate spread to bone) did well on herbs

3. I am glad that I am still alive (NPC spread to bone)

4. I outlived my two doctors (cancer of the tonsil)

5. Twelve years – I am still healthy and full of energy (colon-liver cancer)

Let me make my own decision: No chemo for me! (ovarian cancer)

I want to be beautiful when I die. But with herbs and good diet I am still alive and healthy (breast cancer)

Thank you for sharing and praise God for this blessing!

Ovarian Cancer: Operation but Refused Chemotherapy. Five years on still healthy!

This 52-year-old Indonesian lady was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June 2011. She underwent surgery to remove both her ovaries. It was a papillary adenocarcioma, Stage 1C. The operation was a success but the patient went into coma for 3 days due to electrolyte imbalance. After she regained consciousness there was still bleeding. She had to undergo a second operation to “mop up” the complications.

Patient was asked to undergo chemotherapy but she refused.

Why did you not want to go for chemo? Did you know anything about chemo? My mother had cancer and underwent chemotherapy. She suffered badly. I am not afraid to die but I don’t want to suffer.

Were you not under pressure from others around you for not wanting to go for chemo? Yes, Everyone said, if you have cancer you must go for chemo!

And you did not waver and was firm with your decision? Yes, because I have God with me.

Oh, you prayed to God and asked for His guidance? What did God say to you? You are here (at CA Care) NOT by accident.

Patient came to CA Care in August 2011 and it has been 5 years now and she is doing fine. During these 5 years she did not encounter any problem! In the initial stage she was under pressure to undergo chemotherapy but since she has been doing so well, no one ever reminded her again to go for chemo!

Remove your healthy uterus and ovaries to prevent cancer, anyone?

Mei (not real name) came to see us on behalf of her sister who has just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Mei also told us that her mother died of the same cancer many years ago. That put Mei in a very precarious position — would she end up having the same problem? After all, according to the doctor this evil trait runs in the family! I told her, No!

Mei is only 40 years old. But to her, the future is rather scary. She went to see a gynaecologist who did a Pap Smear and examined her. Everything was normal. But due to her family history, the doctor suggested that Mei remove her healthy ovaries as a preventive measure!

During our conversation we thought Mei has PMS (premenstrual syndrome) problems which can be easily taken care of by taking PMS pill and Utero-Ovary tea.

If you say “YES” to many of the questions below, the chances are you have PMS problems.

Do you have blood clots in the menstural discharge?
Do you suffer any of the following before the periods?

Breast pain / sensitive?
Backache?
Bloatedness of the stomach?
Mood swing?
Craving for certain food (e.g. chocolate, sour food, etc.)

Listen to this video

Okay ladies, do you want to take the Angelina Jolie’s pathway? Have all your female organs removed because you are afraid of getting breast or uterine/ovarian cancer.

The following are some medical terminologies you may come across relating to the removal of the female reproductive organs.

Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the uterus.
Oophorectomy is a surgical procedure to remove one or both of your ovaries.
Bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) refers to the surgical removal of both ovaries and the tubes.
Radical hysterectomy refers to the excision of the uterus en bloc with the upper one-third to one-half of the vagina. The surgeon usually also performs a bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection. Removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes is not part of a radical hysterectomy; they may be preserved if clinically appropriate.
TAH/BSO means total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomoy.

Angelina Jolie removes female organs after cancer scare

http://www.app.com/story/life/family/parenting/shari-puterman/2015/03/26/angelina-jolie-less-woman-hotter-ever/70513236/

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/24/angelina-jolie-goes-public-on-decision-to-remove-her-ovaries

Why I disagree with Angelina Jolie’s mastectomy decision

When I heard about her double mastectomy, my heart sank for her because I’m sure she was paralyzed by fear. After all, nobody wants to hear the “C” word leave their doctor’s lips. Her decision was based on the doctors she trusts, but I disagree with it. She’s supposedly removing her ovaries next.

Preventive breast removal is a disturbingly popular trend that is being hailed as a reasonable, if not celebrated, choice. Angelina’s story makes me admire Suzanne Somers even more. She was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago and was forced to make a life or death decision. She chose well. The author of “Bombshell” still thrives today and is as vivacious as her old character of Chrissy from TV’s “Three’s Company.”

Mastectomies and breast implantation generate trillions of dollars for surgeons, radiologists, hospitals, pharmacies and drug companies. Lifestyle factors, diet, persistent organic pollutants, vitamin or mineral deficiencies and your body’s innate ability to detoxify poisons all play a role in developing cancer.

Common sense will tell you that if remove your breasts, or ovaries, or whatever … you’re still a delicious host to cancer in your lungs, uterus, pancreas, wherever.

It’s a dangerous trend. Don’t remove body parts to prevent cancer, instead make your body an inhospitable host!

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-05-23/health/fl-suzy-cohen-052613-20130523_1_breast-cancer-brca-1-mastectomy

Removal of Ovaries, Fallopian Tubes Wrong Anticancer Option for Most

Removing the ovaries triggers menopause and all of the symptoms that come with it. For women under 45, removing the ovaries can also result in bone thinning and increased risk of heart disease because of reduced estrogen levels. Women who have the procedure often have to undergo hormone therapy to reduce these effects. And although having a salpingo-oophorectomy does reduce the risk of developing cancer, it does not remove it completely.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/removal-of-ovaries-fallopian-tubes-wrong-anticancer-option-for-most/

Below are quotations from books written on hysterectomy. They can shed some light on the problems facing women today.

In What Doctors Don’t Tell You, Lynne McTaggart wrote:

If you are a woman in America, you’ve got a one in three chance of losing your womb by the time you’re 60.
Hysterectomy outranks all others when it comes to the most unnecessary of surgical procedures.
Three-quarters of all hysterectomies are performed on women under 50 for highly dubious reasons.
In abdominal hysterectomies, side-effects can occur in more than 40 percent of operations. These side-effects include bowel problems, incontinence, risk of fatal blood clot.
One-third to nearly one-half of all women report a decrease in sexual response.
If a woman’s ovaries are removed at the same time, she will experience severe menopausal symptoms.

In The Hysterectomy Hoax, Dr. Stanley West, M.D.; wrote:

More than 90 percent of hysterectomies are unnecessary.
Only 10 percent of all hysterectomies are done for cancer. Unless you have cancer, it is unlikely that you need a hysterectomy.
Hysterectomy can have long-lasting physical, emotional, and sexual consequences that may undermine your health and well-being.
It is no secret that many women develop serious health problems after hysterectomy. Depression, fatigue, urinary disorders, joint aches and pains, and unwelcome changes in sexual desire are the most common complaints.
No man would agree to have his sexual and reproductive organs removed for anything short of life-threatening illness.
The fact that women allowed this to happen (to themselves) attest to their lack of knowledge about the consequences of hysterectomy and about the availability of alternatives to surgery.
I understand why doctors want to perform hysterectomies better than I understand why women agree to them.
Hysterectomy is a relatively easy operation. It does not require the surgical finesse need to perform … many of the other alternative procedures. Many gynecologists simply do not have the experience to do all of the other operations that can be substituted for hysterectomy when surgery is needed.
Gynecologists are surgeons. We make our living by performing operations. If hysterectomy is the operation a surgeon knows best, it is the one he or she will recommend and perform most often.
Clearly, many doctors have an economic incentive to recommending hysterectomy.
Your reproductive system is a beautifully crafted apparatus powered by the ebbs and flows of a variety of hormones.
It is time for women to recognize hysterectomy for the threat it is and to refuse to have the surgery except when their lives are at stake.

(Who is this author, Dr. Stanley West? He wrote: At this point, you must be wondering who I am and why I am opposed to hysterectomy. I am a gynecologist … chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at St. Vincent’s Hospital, one of New York’s most prestigious medical institutions … I have helped hundreds of women avoid hysterectomy. I didn’t set out to crusade again hysterectomy. In medical school, I believe what I was taught: that hysterectomy is good for women. Then and now, prevailing medical wisdom holds that the uterus is a disposable organ that serves no useful purpose once a woman has all the children she wants. What’s more, it is regarded as something of a nuisance.)

In Sex, Lies & the Truth About Uterine Fibroids, the author Carla Dionne asked: Do physicians lie to their patients? Some do. Most don’t. Some aren’t aware that incomplete information is construed as a “lie” by their patients. Some simply don’t keep up-to-date on the latest medical information.

Ovarian Cancer: Refused chemotherapy but still healthy after three plus years!

A few days before the Chinese New Year, 2015; SLK, her husband and daughter visited our centre. It was indeed a pleasant surprise for us. SLK walked in and cheerfully greeted us but we could not recall who she was. However, we could faintly remember her husband.

The last time we saw SLK was about three and half years ago, November 2011. Now, here in front of us was SLK again – smiling and saying that she was doing great all these years. Listen to our conversation that day.

Chris: When did you come to Penang.

SLK: Two days ago.

C: How long are you staying in Penang.

S: Till 23 February and going home on 24 February.

C: Why did you come to Penang this time?

S: I miss Penang. In Penang I want to come and see Dr. Chris.

C: You first came to see us in October 2011. It has been …

S: Three and a half years ago.

C: I am indeed very surprised … I don’t believe this!

S: Why don’t you believe?

C: Well, when you first came you had a swollen leg after being discharged from the hospital and you could not walk. The doctor gave you Warfarin and then asked you to go for chemo. You refused. What did the doctor say when you refused chemo?

S: I never went back to see the doctor again.

C: Did he tell you, if you don’t do chemo you might die?

Husband: No, he did not say that.

C: For your swollen leg and pain, the doctor gave you medication.

S: The doctor’s medication did not help. I took your herbs instead.

C: After that you did the e-Therapy. A few days later, you could walk, no pain. You then went home (to Indonesia) Now, you are back here after three and a half years.

S: I took your herbs for nine months.

C: Did the herbs help you?

S: Yes, I got better. The swelling of my leg subsided.

C: Did you take any other medications besides our herbs?

S: No, only your herbs.

C: Did you take care of your diet?

S: Yes, I followed your dietary guideline.

C: Did the doctor say you must go for chemotherapy?

S: Yes, must do chemotherapy. But I refused.

C: Did he not get angry?

S: I never went back to see him again!

C: Did you consult with any doctor in Indonesia?

S: No, no doctor.

Praise God

C: You can eat, can move around, no pain — what else can you ask for? Praise God for this. God helped you. But remember, if you ask God to help but you do not want to help yourself first, then it is useless. Help yourself first and then ask God to help you. It is indeed amazing.

S: Thank you very much doctor for helping me.

C: Yes, we need to thank God for this.

S: When we arrived in Penang, I told myself “I want to go and see Dr. Chris”.

C: Praise God. I am real happy to be able to help you. Take care.

Her Earlier Story

SLK was 49 years old then. She had a 19 x 16 x 7 cm right ovarian cyst with nodules within it. She underwent a hysterectomy at a private hospital in Penang. Histopathology report confirmed a clear cell adenocarcinoma and endometriosis.

She was in the hospital for 8 days and things did not turn out right for SLK.

After being discharged from the hospital, SLK suffered cramps and muscle pull in her left thigh. She had to be hospitalized again. This time it was for 6 days.
Unfortunately the pains and discomforts in her leg did not go away. The doctor told her that he had done his best and could not offer any more help.
The next day, on 20 October 2011, a desperate SLK and her family came to CA Care. They wanted us to help SLK with the pain in her leg. Unfortunately there were no medical reports and we did not know what had happened. We told the family to go back to the doctor and ask for all the medical records.
SLK came back to Penang again and saw her doctors (the surgeon and blood specialist-oncologist) on 18 November 2011. The oncologist asked her to continue taking the Warfarin for another six months and this time with an increased dosage. The doctor said she would be cured after six months. In the meantime, SLK was asked to undergo chemotherapy for her ovarian cancer.
SLK refused chemotherapy. She also did not want to take the Warfarin anymore.
On 23 November 2011, SLK and her husband came to see us again with all her medical reports.
SLK was prescribed herbs and at the same time underwent the e-Therapy.
After three times of e-Therapy, SLK could walk. The swelling of her leg subsided. SLK said, “Previously if I walked, my left leg became swollen. I could now walk to the market and also travel by bus. I felt lighter when I walked. Before coming to CA Care I could not walk like I do now.”
Husband, “Now she can walk so far – from Gurney Park to Pulau Tikus market – with no problem. Before your treatment, we had to take a taxi to come and see you. Now we just take the bus and walked wherever we want to go.”

We did not get to see SLK again after that … until February 2015!

For more details: We have written about SLK’s e-Therapy experience earlier, https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/12/18/ovarian-cancer-after-surgery-left-leg-swollen-painful-and-uncomfortable-herbs-and-e-therapy-helped-her/

REVIEW: CANCER HEALING ODYSSEY

by Yeong Yek Yee & Khadijah Shaari

The author, Sarto Shickel is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree and the University of Pennsylvania with Masters in Architecture. He is a partner in Philadelphia architecture and design firm and a passionate advocate of natural healing through organic, whole foods nutrition. Sarto grew up on a dairy farm but later embraced a healthy plant-based diet about 27 years ago.

The book, Cancer Healing Odyssey, tells the story of a Korean woman Sun Hee Lee, married to Sarto, who was suddenly diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage IV, and already with malignant pleural effusion. In September 2007, Sarto Schickel’s wife, Sun Hee Lee, had a bad cough that which she hoped was bronchitis and not something more serious. She also had a bloated abdomen and some shortness of breath. At the time of diagnosis, the ovarian cancer had already spread from the abdominal cavity to the chest cavity, where she had a large fluid build-up called a malignant pleural effusion, and a partially collapsed right lung and it has spread to the liver as well. It was the shock of a lifetime.

Sun Hee is the mother of two young daughters and wanted desperately to live. Sun Hee looked at all her options and decided to have surgery, and later agreed to the Gerson therapy, to chemotherapy (she did 8 sessions of Carboplatin + Taxol) and to some macrobiotic dietary influence. In essence, she created her own unique integrative program for cancer, with her husband’s guidance, after visiting and consulting with conventional and alternative doctors and a macrobiotic counselor.

In fact, Sun Hee began an alternative nutritional and detoxification therapy the very next day after confirmation of diagnosis on 27 Sept 2007. On October 15, she had abdominal surgery to remove the primary ovarian tumour and she continued her nutritional and detoxification therapies for six weeks after surgery. She then continued an adjusted alternative nutritional program while receiving a total of 8 chemotherapy infusions over the next seven months.

Four and a half years later (the book was released in 2011 with second printing in 2012), Sun Hee is living a normal life, a rare outcome in medical history. (Stage 4 Ovarian cancer with malignant pleural effusion carries a poor prognosis). This combined integrative approach was critical in Sun Hee’s recovery. Sun Hee did not ever consider relying solely on conventional cancer care as the statistics seemed to indicate that the result would almost certainly be death.

However, after having surgery and 8 sessions of chemotherapy, Sun Hee declined her oncologist’s suggestion to undergo another 12 additional maintenance chemotherapy treatments…”to keep the cancer from re-growing.” The oncologist did admit that…”eventually the cancer would come back even if more chemo was used.” When Sun Hee pressed what would come after the maintenance chemotherapy, the oncologist then indicated that they would keep giving chemotherapy until the body could no longer take it.

The above proposal and comments by her oncologist left Sun Hee in a state of shock and more so when he retorted to her….”Now is not the time for alternatives.” The very thought of further chemotherapy was most undaunting to her. During each of her previous 8 chemotherapy sessions; she was devastated physically and emotionally. She suffered side effects such as exhaustion, hair loss, tingling in her hands and feet, leg heaviness between ankle and knee, black and blue spots on the legs, chest pains, nausea and general heaviness in the chest region.

Sun Hee is a living example of what progress can be achieved when nutritional and detoxification therapy is combined with conventional treatments. According to Mr. Sarto, the logic of embracing an alternative and detoxification program….regardless of what essential treatments one may choose from the field of conventional medicine—one must still eat and drink—so why not eat and drink the ideal food and drink that one can to help the body’s immune system. This can help to fight the cancer—from the inside out—to achieve authentic healing.

Sarto’s final advice to all cancer patients is….”do not wait until you have been through two years of conventional-only medicine, and are on your death bed, before trying nutritional approach or other therapies.” Most cancer patients are never told that careful nutritional change may save their life.

In addition to a very compelling personal story, the book includes medical reports, four x-rays showing the complete disappearance of the pleural effusion, a summary of CA-125 blood test results (the ovarian cancer tumor marker) as well as the recipes she used during the various phases of her recovery. The book is meant to give hope to others by showing how one woman overcame the odds through love, medicine and natural cancer therapies, including a lot of time in the kitchen preparing the organic whole foods and juices that were the backbone of her integrative nutrition.

Our concluding comments:

Sun Hee’s healing from Stage 4 ovarian cancer is very similar to Olivia Newton-John’s recovery from breast cancer. This clearly shows that one can carefully combine conventional medical treatments, such as surgery, and even some chemotherapy, with alternative dietary and detoxification methods, together with positive mind and spirit practices.

Where does all the oncologists’ theory of “clashing” comes in? A lot of bull isn’t it? We welcome your comments.

Further References:

1) There are a lot of information on the Gerson therapy and the macrobiotic dietary system—just google them.

2) YouTube Interview with Mr Sarto—the Cancer Healing Odyssey

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHYgOqXjfQ

Ovarian Cancer 3: Intimidation and Misinformation

Lucy, after recurrence of her ovarian cancer, still insisted on forgoing chemotherapy. She had her reasons for refusing the invasive treatment. She had seen her friend suffering a relapse even after undergoing the treatment . Her father died after two cycles of chemo. It is difficult to convince a person with such experiences to go for chemotherapy! So Lucy came to seek our help and took herbs. She promised to change her lifestyle and diet.

Over a period of a year, I got to see Lucy thrice. Below is our conversation on 2 August 2012 – almost a year after her first visit.

To know her progress, Lucy on her own initiative, went to do an ultrasound. The tumor had shrunk by more than 20 percent. From the original 5.8 cm it decreased to 4.5 cm.
Lucy clarified that last year (2012) before our therapy, she had gone to three doctors and all of them confrimed that the tumour was 5.8 cm in size. All the doctors she consulted with had urged her to undergo chemotherapy, warning that without chemo her condition would deteriorate. Lucy refused chemo and told the doctors that she would go for herbs.
After about a year, in August 2013, Lucy went back to one of the doctors who had treated her and had kept her previous records. He did the USG and the tumour was 4.5 cm in size. Lucy reminded the doctor that originally it was 5.8 cm and that the tunour has shrunk and she was taking herbs not chemo. After hearing that, the doctor warned Lucy that the result of the USG that he had just done was not accurate! He insisted that Lucy go for chemotherapy! Why do you believe in herbs? Lucy replied that it was doing her good, that is why she believe in it.
Unfortunately Lucy was not easily “cowed.” She was brave enough to challenge her doctor. If the result was not accurate why do you charge me RM 70 for doing it? Lucy asked for a print out of the result. The doctor replied, I had deleted it. Is this not shifting the goal post?
Lucy was not ready to give up easily. She has a mind of her own. Lucy immediately went to another doctor and did another USG. The result was the same, 4.5 cm. And she was given the print out of the result without any fuss.
Without doubting the result of her present condition, Lucy told her doctor that all the more she felt she was on the right tract by refusing chemotherapy. Her logic was simple: Why do I have to undergo all the sufferings? This past one year, Lucy was living a problem-free life. She was able to travel everywhere she wanted. She spent time in Shanghai, China. In addition she was able to continue with her teaching job. The only problem she faced is having to wear a sanitary pad everyday due to her discharge.
Lucy asked her doctor if chemo can cure her. The doctor dared not answer that question. This was exactly what happened to professor Michael Gearin-Tosh.

Misinformation

To justify their advice, Lucy was told by her doctors that chemotherapy would kill all the cancer cells in her.

Of course if you are living in your own world oblivious to the progress around you, such advice appears attractive. You would swallow that wholesale! But that idea is now outdated. Read below my short review of the medical literature understand what I mean — chemo DOES NOT and CANNOT kill all the cancer cells.

Lucy was also told that in the event that chemo did not cure her, at least it kept cancer at bay and not spread. This again is not true. This is a recycled argument fed to naive cancer patients. The truth is chemotherapy SPREADS cancer and can even make the cancer more AGGRESSIVE. Read more below.

To be fair to Lucy, we have warned her on the day when she first came to seek our herbs that we could not promise her a cure. After a year, her conditions did not turn any worse. In fact it seems to be encouraging. The turmour shrunk. She started to discharge smelly, rotten “minced-meat” everyday. There must be a reason why this happened after she was on this therapy.

Lucy told her doctor, Don’t worry, I shall you see in six months!

Let’s see if Lucy can repeat the feat of Ella of Melbourne. Ella too had surgery of endometrium cancer and was asked to undergo chemotherapy. She was told by her surgeon, Based on my experience, If you don’t do chemo, you have only three months. If you do chemo you have two and a half years. Ella as of today (almost FIVE years) is still living a healthy and adventurous live. Yesterday, we received a card from her, sent from Pearl Beach in northern Australia. She and her husband took off for some months driving around the country enjoying the wilderness and outback of her beautiful country. (More on this story, https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/01/28/cancer-of-the-endometrium-no-chemo-you-live-only-three-months-with-chemo-two-and-a-half-years-with-herbs-she-is-still-having-fun-after-more-than-three-years/)

What You Need to Know About Cancer and Chemotherapy

Is our present-day outdated cancer treatment effective?

Robert Weinberg of MIT and world’s leading authority in cancer biology wrote (in The Biology of Cancer):

Most of the anti-cancer treatment in widespread use today were developed prior to 1975, at the time when the development of therapeutics was not yet informed by the genetic and biochemical mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis.

Heiko Enderling of Center of Cancer System Bioogy, Tufts University School of Medicine, 736 Cambridge St., Boston, MA, wrote:

Standard treatment options share the philosophy of delivering the maximum tolerable dose to inflict maximum gross tumor reduction. When the tumor shrinks below clinical detection complete response or complete remission is declared.
Often the tumor has been eradicated and treatment indeed was successful; in other cases the tumor will grow back more aggressively than the primary tumor, thus worsening patient prognosis.

(http://www.researchgate.net/publication/233396155_Cancer_Stem_Cells_and_Tumor_Dormancy

Karen Weintraub reported in the Boston Globe:

Chemotherapy and other traditional cancer therapies do a great job of shrinking most tumors. But some cancer cells manage to escape and seed new tumor growth — a problem that has vexed scientists for years.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/02/17/stemcell/auB8rajwFf3LvAIAdwxtaM/story.html

Heterogeneity: Cancer cells are not the same

Andriy Marusyk and Kornelia Polyak wrote:

Many tumors are composed of mixtures of distinct subclones rather than being monoclonal.
Tumors originate from a single cell. Yet, at the time of clinical diagnosis, the majority of human tumors display startling heterogeneity in many morphological and physiological features, such as expression of cell surface receptors, proliferative and angiogenic potential.
Cancers are not static entities: they start from a genetically normal cell and conclude with billions of malignant cells that have accumulated large numbers of mutations in “driver” and “passenger” genes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2814927/

Cancer scientists led by Dr. John Dick at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have found a way to follow single tumour cells and observe their growth over time.

By tracking individual tumour cells, they found that not all cancer cells are equal: only some cancer cells are responsible for keeping the cancer growing.
Within this small subset of propagating cancer cells, some kept the cancer growing for long time periods (up to 500 days of repeated tumour transplantation), while others were transient and stopped within 100 days.
They also discovered a class of propagating cancer cells that could lie dormant before being activated. The dormant cells were not killed by drug treatment and became activated, causing the tumour to grow again.
They found that genetic mutations, regarded by many as the chief suspect driving cancer growth, are only one piece of the puzzle. Biological factors and cell behaviour – not only genes – drive tumour growth, contributing to therapy failure and relapse.

http://vonpurdy-cancerpage.typepad.com/weblog/2012/12/chemo-kills-cancer-cells-but-activates-dormant-cancer-cells.html

For over a century, scientists have known that circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, are shed from tumors and move through the bloodstreams of cancer patients.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine led by Stefanie Jeffrey, MD, professor of surgery and chief of surgical oncology research, took a look at so-called circulating tumor cells one by one, rather than taking the average of many of the cells. These are what they have found:

The cells that slough off from a cancerous tumor into the bloodstream are a genetically diverse bunch. Even within one patient, the tumor cells that make it into circulating blood vary drastically.
Some have genes turned on that give them the potential to lodge themselves in new places, helping a cancer spread between organs.
Others have completely different patterns of gene expression and might be more benign, or less likely to survive in a new tissue.
Some cells may even express genes that could predict their response to a specific therapy.
The diversity means that tumors may contain multiple types of cancer cells that may get into the bloodstream, and a single biopsy from a patient’s tumor doesn’t necessarily reflect all the molecular changes that are driving a cancer forward and helping it spread.
Moreover, different cells may require different therapies.

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/may/jeffrey.html

One reason certain tumors can be hard to eliminate is that they contain a variety of different cells.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33640/title/Cancer-More-Diverse-than-Its-Genetics/

Cancer Stem Cell

Nicholas Wade reported in the New York Times:

Many researchers believe that tumor growth is driven by cancerous stem cells that, for reasons not understood, are highly resistant to standard treatment.
Chemotherapy agents may kill off 99 percent of cells in a tumor, but the stem cells that remain can make the cancer recur or spread to other tissues to cause new cancers.
Stem cells, unlike mature cells, can constantly renew themselves and are thought to be the source of cancers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health/research/14cancer.html?_r=0

Dormant Cancer Cell

Kleffel and Schatton of Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, USA, .wrote:

Increasing evidence suggests that tumor dormancy represents an important mechanism underlying the observed failure of existing therapeutic modalities to fully eradicate cancers.
In addition to its more established role in maintaining minimal residual disease after treatment, dormancy might also critically contribute to early stages of tumor development and the formation of clinically undetectable micrometastatic foci.
There are striking parallels between the concept of tumor dormancy and the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory of tumor propagation.

Joseph Hall reported in the Star:

Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have shown that some of the cells that drive tumour growth hide from common chemotherapy drugs by going “dormant” — reigniting the disease when they awaken after treatments end.
This finding add more depth (and) complexity to why cancers come back, why they recur.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/12/13/cancer_cells_hide_by_going_dormant_princess_margaret_study_finds.html

Malgorzata Banys et al from Germany wrote:

Tumor dormancy describes a prolonged quiescent state in which tumor cells are present, but disease progression is not yet clinically apparent.
Breast cancer is especially known for long asymptomatic periods, up to 25 years, with no evidence of the disease, followed by a relapse.
Factors that determine the cell’s decision to enter a dormant state and that control its duration remain unclear.

http://www.dovepress.com/dormancy-in-breast-cancer-peer-reviewed-article-BCTT

Naumoy et al of the Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, Canada, wrote:

Breast cancer is noted for long periods of tumor dormancy and metastases can occur many years after treatment. Adjuvant chemotherapy is used to prevent metastatic recurrence but is not always successful.
Apparently effective chemotherapy may spare non-dividing cancer cells, and these cells may give rise to metastases at a later date. This study has important clinical implications for patients being treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14703067

Chemotherapy SPREADS and MAKES cancer more AGGRESSIVE.

Doctors who treat patients with breast cancer have known that tumors that develop resistance to chemotherapy are also more likely to grow larger and to spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body.

http://www.mskcc.org/blog/study-links-s-ability-spread-chemotherapy-resistance

Chemotherapy drugs kill by first order kinetics (half life)

First-order kinetics, when applied to the concept of cytotoxicity, means that … a specific dose kills a specific fraction of tumor cells regardless of the population. For example, we could put a person on a course of 3 chemotherapy drugs and kill 99.9% of the cancer cells. This sounds awfully good, doesn’t it? So why isn’t there curing going on all the time? A person that has a disseminated metastatic disease has somewhere in the vicinity of 1 trillion cancer cells (10^12). If one good course of chemotherapy kills off 99.9% of the 1 trillion tumor cells, what’s left? One billion cancer cells left (10^9). Here’s the math:

100% – 99.9% = 0.1%.
0.1% = 0.001
0.001 x 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) = 1,000,000,000 (1 billion)

Historically our problem had been that we had to wait several weeks before the next course of chemotherapy because we were also affecting the normal cells and the person was susceptible to infection and we had to wait for them to recover. In that course of time, since cancer cells grow fast, the tumor would be back up to 10^12 ( 1 trillion) cells before the next course of therapy, which would again, kill 99.9% and they would go back down again. If we keep doing this and can get it down to 10^6 (1 million cells) and hopefully stimulate the person’s immune system to try to fight off the remaining cancer cells, we could get them into remission. That’s the goal. If we could get them down to zero, then we are finally in remission. After 5 years of remission, they would be deemed to be cured. But in reality, that’s not actually true because there have been lots of horror stories of it coming back beyond 5 years later. Why are we only 0.1% away from killing off all the cancer cells? The reason we couldn’t kill all 100%, was because some of the cells were in that dormant G0 phase.

http://antranik.org/chemotherapy-treatment/

Conventional Chemotherapy Can Do More Harm than Good

From the website of Envita Medical Centers. Scottsdale, Arizona (http://www.envita.com/) Let me repeat, it is from a Medical Centre. It has the following message:

Chemotherapy agents will destroy cancer cells temporarily, but it is known that there is a rebound “metastasis effect” that nearly always takes place at the same time. A patient may see an explosive growth of the cancer, months later, which was not visible by imaging before. Those new cancer cells would exist in a micro-dormant phase.
In addition, chemotherapy crushes the patient’s immune system, and can create chemo resistant cancer cells! Typically, a strong immune system would take care of the metastasis, but after conventional chemotherapy a patient’s immune system is so debilitated, it cannot hold them back from growing and spreading.
If you notice in the clinical studies of new chemotherapy drugs, they may extend life in late-stage cancer for up to two or three months at the most. These drugs will create hundreds of millions in sales. However, for most individuals, the cancer will return more resistant and more difficult to treat. So the question is: Did the new blockbuster drug solve the problem? NO.

Ovarian Cancer 2: After Recurrence She Again Refused Chemo. Why?

Lucy was asked to undergo chemotherapy after the cancer had recurred. She again declined and came to seek our help on 7 September 2012. We cautioned Lucy to seriously consider undergoing chemotherapy. After all the cancer had spread and she should not expect much from us. Also, please don’t blame us if things don’t work out the way she wanted!

She was not receptive to chemo. Listen to our conversation that day.

The doctor in the government hospital asked Lucy to undergo chemotherapy immediately. She hesitated and asked for some time to think over it. The doctor also queried why she did not do chemotherapy the previous year after she had the surgery.

Lucy asked the doctor what would happen if she do not want to do the chemo. The doctor said he would not see her again if she declined chemo this time. Next time when it becomes serious, sorry! Don’t come and see me.

In spite of this stern warning, Lucy was adamant and refused chemotherapy. She came to seek our help on 7 September 2012.

Chris: Okay, let me ask you. You have been taking the Sabah Snake Grass – did it help you?

Lucy: If it helped me, I don’t have to come and see you anymore. See, the good of this plant has been published widely in the papers!

C: The problem is just because it is published in the newspapers, you beiieve it all. I never read the newspapers these days.

Surgery did not cure,

Sabah Snake Grass did not cure,

Chemo would not cure,

My herbs would not cure!

Why don’t try chemo then?

Please don’t blame me if things don’t work out the way you want!

This is what I told Lucy:

From my reading, surgery does not cure ovarian cancer. It can recur if you don’t take care properly.
A lady underwent surgery for her cervical cancer and had radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The doctor said she would have a 89 percent chance cure. Barely four months later the cancer recurred in her right lung. (Read more: Cervical Cancer: Eighty-nine Percent Chance of Cure Vanished With the Collapse of Her Right Lung Four Months After Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, Ovarian Cancer: “After chemo, 99 percent of cancer will be gone!” Do you believe that? How much truth has to be told?)
Chemo does not cure ovarian cancer.
If you take herbs, it is not going to cure you either!
So why not try chemotherapy! Perhaps it may help you temporarily.
If you take my herbs, and if the results did not meet your expectations, you will blame me. And if you face any problem you will blame the herbs.
The reason why I say this is simple. The cancer has already spread rather extensively.
From my experience, nobody in this world can cure cancer! (Cure means cancer is totally gone and will not come back ever again).
I suggested that Lucy go back and think about it.

Lucy was again adamant. She said, Today I come here, of course, I am not going to go for chemo. And of course, I am not going to blame you if something went wrong.

Lucy admitted that before this she had been taking all kind of food. After meeting us, she decided to take care of her diet and change her lifestyle. Yes, this we hope she would do!

Why Do You Not Want to Undergo Chemotherapy?

I did not ask Lucy specifically this question. It was not one year later that I got to meet up with Lucy and learnt the answer to this question.

Lucy had a friend who underwent surgery and then chemotherapy. After the treatment – and after much suffering from the side effects – the cancer came back again. So according to Lucy, why go for chemo if it would not cure? Why go through all these and suffer?

Then probably more relevant was her father’s experience. Lucy’s 60-yer-old father had nose cancer. He underwent radiotherapy and then chemotherapy. After two cycles of chemo, he was not able to withstand the treatment anymore. The family stopped the treatment. One month later, he died.

To this I told Lucy, I understand you.

Comments

Those who do not know anything about chemotherapy could not understand Lucy. If you have a family member or close friend undergoing this treatment, there is no need for anyone to say much. You know the difficulties and agony. I too have not gone through such experience but from my readings, I learnt from other people’s experience to be able to know what it is like. Some told me it was HELL.

The following are information and data obtained from the internet and oncology text books regarding ovarian cancer.

What You Need to Know About Ovarian Cancer

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/255771-overview#aw2aab6b2b5aa http://www.acancer.net/ovarian_cancer/stage3.php

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/ovarian-cancer/chemotherapy.html http://www.webmd.com/ovarian-cancer/features/ovarian-cancer-chemo-options?page=2

http://www.malaysiaoncology.org/article.php?aid=10

Around the world, more than 200,000 women are estimated to develop ovarian cancer every year and about 100,000 die from the disease.
According to the National Cancer Registry, ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in Peninsular Malaysia, making up five per cent of all female cancer cases.
Epithelial tumors represent the most common histology (90%) of ovarian tumors. This type of cancer often spreads on the peritoneal surfaces – e.g., undersurface of the diaphragms, paracolic gutters, bladder, surface of the liver, mesentery and serosa of the large and small bowel, omentum, uterus, and para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes.
Most ovarian cases are diagnosed in an advanced stage and their prognosis is closely related to the stage at diagnosis. Overall, prognosis for advanced-stage patients remains poor. Overall 5-year survival of ovarian cancer is 45 percent.
As I have always told patients – we don’t have to believe this statistics but we also don’t want to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that everything will be okay. We need to know the reality and then try hard to beat the odds.

Treatment:

Currently, the standard treatment for stage 3 ovarian cancer consists of both surgery (surgical debulking) and chemotherapy.
Unfortunately, less than 40% of patients experience long-term survival following standard treatment.
Approximately 60-80% of patients with stage 3 cancer will experience a recurrence of their cancer, even after complete surgical removal of cancer.
Nearly all patients with stage 3 disease have small amounts of undetectable cancer that have spread outside the ovary and were not removed by surgery. These cancer cells cannot be detected with any of the currently available tests and are referred to as micrometastases. The presence of micrometastases causes cancer recurrence.

Chemotherapy for Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer

The chemotherapy drugs used to treat ovarian cancer are fairly standard. Typically doctors combine a platinum-based drug such as carboplatin or cisplatin with a taxane such as paclitaxel (Taxol) or docetaxel (Taxotere).

Perez, C.P. et. al, (in Clinical Oncology, 8^th Edition, Health Science Asia, pg. 489) wrote: The combination of paclitaxel plus a platinum compound is considered by most to be the first-line adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimen in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The pathologic complete response is only 20 to 26 percent (Table below).

Source: Thigpen, J.T. (in Clinical Oncology Pt.2, 2^nd Ed., Harcourt Asia, pg. 2026)

Ovarian cancers are very sensitive to chemotherapy and often respond well initially. Unfortunately, in most cases, ovarian cancer recurs.
Fewer than 20% of patients treated with a platinum compound and paclitaxel survive without evidence of cancer recurrence 5 years following treatment.
Unfortunately, even in patients who respond, the disease eventually becomes resistant to the first-line drugs, and the cancer returns. Some ovarian tumors are resistant to platinum drugs. Once cancer recurs or continues to progress, the patient may be treated with more chemotherapy.
Despite the development of several new chemotherapy drugs over the past few years, there is no substantial evidence that any of the treatments have increased the number of women cured of ovarian cancer.
Gemcitabine (Gemzar) is also used in combination with carboplatin for women with advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed. Other drugs include doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Doxil), etoposide (Vepesid), and vinorelbine (Navelbine).

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can cause side effects during and after treatment. The type and severity of these side effects depends upon which chemotherapy drugs are used and how they are administered.
The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, mouth soreness, temporary lowering of the blood counts, and hair loss.

Surveillance After Treatment

At the end of treatment (both surgery and chemotherapy), a patient is considered to have a “complete response” if her physical examination is normal; there is no evidence of cancer on imaging studies (such as a CT scan); and the blood level of the tumor marker like CA-125 is normal.
However, even when all of these criteria are met, microscopic amounts of residual cancer (i.e., not visible on imaging studies) can still be present. Growth of these microscopic tumor cells is probably responsible for tumor recurrence at a later date.
To monitor for the possibility of recurrence, blood tests, physical examinations, and imaging tests are to be done.

Signs of Recurrence

The likelihood of a tumor recurrence is highest in women with more advanced-stage disease at diagnosis, particularly if the initial debulking surgery was unable to remove all visible tumor.
The earliest evidence of recurrent ovarian cancer can be indicated by a rising blood level of one of the tumor markers (CA-125) and symptoms such as abdominal pain or bloating with or without back pain, or presence of pelvic mass.

What Can I Expect After Chemotherapy Treatment?

Surgery plus chemotherapy drugs can get rid of ovarian cancer, but often they can’t keep it away forever.
Surgery and chemotherapy are usually effective in treating the cancer so it will go away for a while, but in most cases the cancer ends up coming back.
Often, the cancer will return within one to two years after treatment is finished. If the cancer does return, another round of chemotherapy is necessary.

Ovarian Cancer 1: Romance with Sabah Snake Grass

Lucy (not real name – H974) is a 52-year-old female. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March 2011 and had undergone a TAH-BSO (Total Abdominal Hysterectomy Bilateral Salpingo Oophorectomy) at a private hospital. The medical report indicated the following:

A huge single right ovarian cyst 15 to 18 cm
Intact capsule
No ascitis, no peritoneal / omentum / liver deposit
Lateral pelvic wall clear
No adhesioin
Left ovary normal
Both fallopian tubes normal
Clear cell carcinoma of right ovary, Stage 1

Lucy was asked to undergo follow up chemotherapy. She declined. She said, I did it my way and went for traditional method. She embarked on taking Sabah Snake Grass (SSG) since much has been said about its goodness in the local mass media. Lucy started with 300 leaves but when she began to have joint pains, she reduced the consumption to 30 leaves each time. Lucy had been taking this fresh herbs for more than a year – from May 2011 until September 2012 (when she came to seek our help).

Recurrence: Extensive spread

In May 2012, Lucy had lower abdominal discomforts and did an USG. The result indicated a possible presence of a mass in the Pouch of Douglas. The echodensity measures 3.3 x 3.6 x 5.2 cm. She went to consult three doctors.

Doctor 1 said there was nothing wrong! No mass.

Doctor 2 said there was something in there but unsure of what it was!

Doctor 3 also said the same – something in there!

Knowing that her cancer had recurred, Lucy started to take the SSG again and this time more seriously at 300 leaves each time.

Eventually Lucy ended up in the government hospital performing a CT and PET scan. The results of the CT scan indicated:

a heterogenous mass – 5.3 x 4.0 x 4.4 cm – at the pelvis suggestive of tumour recurrence.
possible infiltration into the adjacent sigmoid colon and right pelvic nodal metastasis.
enlarge lymph node along the right pelvic – largest 1.9 x 1.1 cm.
the peritoneal soft tissue nodule – 1.4 x 1.2 cm – may represent peritoneal metastasis.

Comment

Sabah Snake Grass (SSG) is not new to me. I know this plant since 1995 when I started CA Care and has been using it as one of the 350 herbs used in our centre. However what is new to me is the idea that only ONE herb is used as if it is a magic bullet. This unfortunately is against the basic principle of herbal therapy. Nevertheless this is what happened when one has a “magic bullet” mentality.

Over the years, I receive emails from people asking for my opinion about this “hot” topic of SSG. See below:

Hi Dr. Chris, recently I read from newspaper regarding Sabah Snake Grass (Clinacanthus) herb which can help in cancer treatment. Do you have any comment on this … for cancer?

Good News!!!
Recently, I met a man who had Lymphatic Cancer – Stage 4 with lymph nodes affected. His cancer started in March 2008.

Affected parts: 1st: Right lung, 2nd: Left lung, 3rd: Groin, 4th: Eye and 5th Mouth.
After 9 chemo therapies he stopped the treatment on 10/11/2008 because 5 specialists said he can only survive for 3 months. Today, after more than 2 years, he has recovered and is still living.

Thanks to the Sabah Snake Grass (Clinacanthus) which he planted outside his house.
He blended the leaves with green apple (minus skin and seeds) and drank them after breakfast every day.

After 3 days, 6 tumours disappeared. After 13 days, he went for a blood test. The oncologist said that he was 96% cured. So far more than 200 people who had taken the herbs showed improvement.

Case 1) Man – age 54, Lung Cancer: 3rd stage.
Chemotherapy 6 times. Tumour before taking Sabah Snake Grass 29mm, 44mm, 76mm. Tumour two weeks after taking Sabah Snake Grass reduced to 20mm, 27mm, 67mm respectively

Case 2) Woman with Uterus cancer – tumour size 6cm
Scheduled for surgery. After taking SSG, reduced to 3.5cm. Doctor said no need to operate. Continue taking the SSG, the tumour disappeared.

Case 3) Man with Prostate Cancer.

After taking SSG for 11 days, the tumour disappeared.

Case 4) Woman from KL, Breast and Lung Cancer

Both breasts removed – 4 stage. Very weak, cannot eat, on drip and lying in hospital. Family member poured SSG juice into her mouth through tube. After a few days, could eat and was discharged. 28 days later was all tumours disappeared.

Case 5) Woman from Taiping with Breast Cancer
After taking SSG for 3 days, the wound dried up.

Case 6) Leukemia Patients
So far 4 cases have been cured after drinking SSG juice. They also drank juice from 3 leaves of Guo Sai Por (Ti Tham Tou) once per week.

This was my reply to the person who wrote me:

Scientists in Thailand have been studying this plant. There is also a company making cream from this plant. I also grow this plant in my garden for many years already. I also use this plant for cancer but not in the way it is being publicised much less getting “instant, magic” results as claimed.

Does the plant really cure cancer like written above? I HOPE IT IS TRUE … but I am not sure and it is very, very difficult for me to believe such stories without clear, hard evidence. Let me say it clearly: I want to believe these stories but I cannot. My training as a scientist just tell me it does not make sense – they are too good to be true. As a scientist, I also find such claims more of a “joke.” Nobody with a scientific mind would be able to swallow such success stories as the way these are written! Let me say it here — I am not saying they are not true but what is questionable is the way the stories were written and presented. I am sorry to say this but I still have to say it. But unfortunately many of us only want to hear what we want to hear, throwing away logic and common sense out the window.

In this video, a lady related her experience with SSG. She had been taking it for over a year and she suffered a recurrence. SSG could not even prevent a recurrence let alone make tumours disappear.

The above patient is not the only one who experienced such failure. I have many others who came with similar failed stories. I have also personally given SSG to a lady with small lumps in her breast. The leaves were harvested from the plants that I grew at home. I asked her to take the juices every day. It did not work. She had to go for chemotherapy.

Let me be clear about this. I am not against anyone taking SSG. By all means take it if that makes you happy or feel good. Take it if you benefit from it. You could be the lucky one. After all you don’t have to sell your house to pay for the herb. So there is nothing much to lose. But if you have problems after taking it, you may want to stop taking it. Some patients told me that they experienced joint pains or muscle cramps and could not walk after taking SGG. Again, this can happen to some people, while others have no problem.

To those of you out there. Let me know if you have any good healing stories about SSG. As a reminder, whenever we want to make any claim of efficacy, we must present our case with a certain degree of credibility. Our story must be substantiated by medical reports, CT scan, blood tests, etc. Let us document such success stories properly so that others would not laugh at us. Shoddy work makes us look cheap! We give others all the reasons to say we are quacks. Let us do our work correctly!

According to the above stories, you need to take SSG for only 3 days, 14 days, 11 days or 28 days and the cancer all disappeared. Wow, Malaysians have “beaten” all American scientists at curing cancer with a magic bullet!

Part 3: The Last Option: CA Care Therapy After Chemotherapy Had Failed

This case study consists of three parts.

Part 1: The High Cost of Staying Alive In a Private Hospital.

Part 2: Eleven to Nineteen Drugs A Day Could Not Cure Her – Rather Die Than Suffer More.

MM came with her sister’s medical reports and scans below:

Facing Up to Reality

Having seen the scans and medical reports, the first thing I told MM was for her to be ready to accept the reality of the situation. Based on the medical reports, I do not see any chance to cure her at all. Even the oncologist had told MM that at best further chemotherapy would only prolong her life by a few months. So facing death is a reality and we have to accept that. I then posed another question to MM. In this case, do we really want to prolong MS’s (patient’s) life at all cost?

At this juncture I remember what I have read.

Dr. James Gordon, clinical professor of Georgetown University School of Medicine, (in Manifesto For A New Medicine) said, Death … needs to be addressed differently. If we do not fear it quite irrationally or regard it as our own enemy, we would be unlikely to reflexively mobilize extraordinary and extraordinarily dehumanizing and debilitating technological measures to prolong lives of patients who are clearly dying. Instead of acting out of blind instinct to preserve life … at all costs, we ought … to devote our time, energies and resources to spending time with dying people and their families.

Richard Reoch (in Dying Well) wrote, We often make the mistake of trying to keep a dying person alive as long as possible, no matter what the cost. There are many occasions when the kindest thing to do is not to hunt for “better medicine” or a “better doctor” but to be close to and supporting the person who is dying. Let them know that you are glad for all the time, the joy and sorrow you have shared … In the last hours, love and acceptance will do far more good than medicine.

Dr. Bernie Siegel (in Peace, Love & Healing) said: It is important that we realize that we can never cure everything. We will never find … cure for all the diseases. Dying can be a healing, ending a full, rich life for someone who is tired and sore and in need of rest.

Three Options

I offered MM three options and requested her to go back and discuss with her sister or her family members in Indonesia.

Continue with medical treatment in Penang – do whatever the oncologist wanted her to do.
Take her home to Indonesia without anymore treatment.
Stay in the hospital but stop further medication from the hospital. Take herbs, i.e., follow the CA Care therapy.

However, I made it clear to MM that the decision as to what to do next must be hers. She had to take the risks and assume all the consequences, especially if she wanted to take option 3. I made it clear that I cannot be held responsible for whatever happens after taking the herbs. Her sister might just die – I don’t know!

MM decided not to continue with any more chemotherapy. And it is also not possible to bring her sister home right now because of her weak condition – she would not be able to stand the journey home. So Option 3 seemed to be the only way out. Let her sister stay in the hospital but take our herbs. When her condition improves, prepare to take her home quickly. The time frame – give CA Care Therapy a try for one or two weeks.

It was indeed a brave decision for each of us to make! Within the next three weeks (from 15 October to 8 November) we wrote 175 emails to each other. Let me reproduce just a few emails to give you an idea of what eventually happened.

18 October 2012: Yes doctor we have already been informed that her this first or second week will be very hard for her. Hope she can cope with all the problems that would arise. Her main issues now:
1. Tummy hardened.
2. Hard to breathe.
3. Area on upper abdominal and gastric pain.
4. Swelling on legs.
5. Some redness – allergy that I observed maybe due to the vitamin and milk infusion. It had already been stopped since yesterday. But still the redness persists but lesser than yesterday.
6. Hard to relax and cannot sleep well.
7. Tense.

19 October 2012: After taking your herbs since yesterday 3 p.m. – started with Pain Tea, I observe that she had already passed motion three times, which is in my view is good. Not watery but soft. She passed out urine many times. Pain became lesser a bit but still hard to breathe. The liquid come out from the pig tail is lesser. Yesterday it came out around 850 ml. This morning it is only 150 ml. I have already discussed with the doctor in hospital that we cut off all infusions given to her previously including albumin, vitamin and the other drips. Any other issues I shall inform you later. Hope she responds well with the herbs. Thank you for your kind attention.

19 October 2012: She can sleep quite well now. She felt and looked very tired. Her first bowel motion started at 12.30 a.m. Back to sleep again and suddenly around 3.30 am she woke up and wanted to vomit. Nothing out only saliva, nausea. Is the process of taking the herbs like this? As I know that having diarrhea is one of taking the herbs. How about the nausea? So far, I observe her overall condition is ok. She is still very weak, her legs swelling, tummy bloated, tiredness of the back (often asking for massage). One more thing – she can turn left and right and without complaining. Before turning her body makes her tummy pain. No complaining of pain now. The redness due to allergy still on her legs, lesser though. She took all your herbs yesterday according to your prescription without any single medicine from the hospital.

19 October 2012: Since last night she still passed out stools. She cannot sleep well yet. She just told me now that her heart beats so fast since yesterday noon. Her hands and feet are cold. She cannot eat and drink much at this moment, even though she has no nausea anymore. She always feels very full. Does the inability to eat and drink much at this time affect her heart beating faster than usual, the tummy full (not hungry), and at the same time she should take too many herbs in a day? Her tummy looks smaller than before. Her feet are still swollen. The liquid came out was getting lesser to 600 ml yesterday. I took a picture of her while she was lying down. Kindly ask your advice based on her update condition.

Reply: 21 October 2012: The big question that you need to answer is only this: After stopping the doctor’s medication and going on herbs — IS she better or not? I expect life is going to be difficult for the first one or two weeks. Is it worth it? Or do you prefer to go back to the old ways and put in all the 13 to 16 drugs that the doctor gave. You have to decide. I don’t know if her situation is better or not, so I cannot say anything on that. Look at her condition – before and after the herbs – which one do you prefer? If you see a glass with water but it is not full with water …you can say it is a glass half full of water or you can say it is a glass half empty … this represents two different basic attitudes and perspectives… I don’t know which she belongs to.

22 October 2012: I can assure you that she is much better after stopping the doctor’s medication and going on herbs. Day by day there is improvement. Though she still feels the body heavy, legs swelling, hard to close her eyes to sleep because she feels there is much energy, though walking exercises makes her tired easily. Her passing of stools is lesser day by day. Since yesterday she passed out only 2 times passing stools. Today she has not had one yet. Passing urine is quite ok. Her liquid comes out around 600 ml per day. Her tummy is smaller than before but still swollen. Her pain is lesser day by day. No nausea. Her tummy still makes sound of water flowing. She has stopped all doctor’s medication since the first time taking on your herbs until now, including all infusion of albumin, vitamin and no more asking for morphine Injection. Has she passed through the healing crisis? We plan to go back end of this month or early of November and continue with your herbs. Kindly need your advice.

22 October 2012: She told me she feels she is getting better and better even though she can hardly move freely. She feels heavy. She just moved her bowels. The doctor just came in and checked on her. He surprised to see her very fresh, and no more complain of pain and nausea. So he cut off the medication for nausea (which I have already done so without his knowledge).

23 October 2012: I notice in this few days, there are some red spots on her arms. What are those red dots?

Since this morning, she started to feel no energy and power, lazy and is slow to respond if we ask something. She does not know what to do. Confuse. No energy and power to turn her body to left and right. Her face looks tired and sleepy. I think she lose her weight again…only bone and skin. If I ask her, Are you ok? Her answer is, I don’t know “. She sweat quite a lot.

23 October 2012 at 9:45 PM: Ok. Let see what surprises she will show us in the next few days. Right now, her body frozen, cannot move, do not know what is going on, do not know what to do.

(Note: At this point on receiving this email, I thought the patient’s time is up. There is no more hope. Tonight night, I did not want to check my mail again after reading this. I just wanted to have a good night sleep, expecting to be told the next morning that she is gone. But the next morning it was a great relief to receive this email).

24 October 2012: She has no cold, no fever. Her blood pressure and temperature are ok. Breathing is still ok. She feels her body heavy and stiff, uneasy to move and turn left and turn right compared the day before which she felt a lot energy.

25 October 2012: Her pains is lesser compared to yesterday. She still cannot tell if her stiffness has improved or not compared to yesterday. I tried the e therapy, Detox 2 for her at 10.30 am today. She still has nausea. It comes and goes. Is it also one of the side effects of the 50 mg Durogesic patch? She can eat half bowl of vegetable soup afterwards and rest for a while but after half an hour she feels the nausea again. Most of the time she is stayed lying down. How about the therapy for her tonight? Is it ok for her to eat a bite or two kuih pasar (contained of coconut covered with flour)?

Today is the third day. She still feels lazy, no energy to talk, and weak.

26 October 2012: This morning woke up at 5.30 am and I gave her a little bit Naturex to drink, and help her to sit up in her chair closet to pass urine. After that I try to make her calm and relax by explaining that she is still in healing crisis and hope the condition will get better afterwards today or tomorrow because she is afraid of her condition had weaken and she has no energy this week. One thing that her nausea is getting lesser after the Durogesic patch is reduced to 25 mg. But, she feels a little bit pain on her abdomen. Seems she can bear the pain. If she cannot bear it, I plan to give her only Pain Tea whenever the pain comes. What do you think of this situation? Do you think the sodium level dropped? Or anything on your mind? Anyway, let see again later after she wake up. I will keep you informed.

26 October 2012: If it is found that she lacks of electrolytes and need infusion, can I still give her the herbs during infusion? Yes, she is still easily tired, lazy and no energy till now, she cannot sit too long and she feels uncomfortable for the whole body. Terrible she said. She still feels hard to swallow. Every time she eats and drinks make her nauseous so that is why she does not drink water. The liquid (from her abdomen) comes out yesterday. It was only 450 ml. Lesser. A lot of blood clots came out. Thanks a lot for your advices all this time, guiding me what to do.

27 October 2012: Around 9 a.m. this morning, I gave her the therapy for Anxiety and before the program finished she was already wanting to sleep. Succeeded to make her sleep even for only half an hour.

Her current condition is:

1. Still weak, lazy, no energy, tired easily.

2. Worried and fear of her condition right now that she feels terrible and getting worse

3. Hard to swallow

4. Uncomfortable body.

5. Legs swollen

6. Red spots still on her arms

7. Tummy still bloated even lesser day by day.

8. No passing stools yet only passing gases.

9. Passing urine only one or two times. The colour is also yellow dark.
Yes, I believe her condition will get better in these few days.

27 October 2012: Doctor is curious because her stomach is getting smaller, the fluid also did not come out too much. No complain about pain anymore and no nausea after the Durogesic patch was decreased to 25 mg. So, the doctor plans to take the blood test on Monday to check her cancer marker and will do ultrasound to see the tumour inside. Do you think this Monday is the appropriate time to check as her condition is still weak and the red spots are still there along her arms? What do you suggest?

28 October 2012: The results of ultrasound showed not much liquid inside. The size of the tumour is still the same. Some tumours spread to spread out but still in the tummy. Sounds bad? Doctor will give her 1 pack of blood transfusion tomorrow morning, and keep giving her sodium infusion until Friday. On Wednesday, she will take the blood test again to make sure the platelets, sodium, Hb , etc., are ok before we go back. She is still weak with no energy, but she can swallow better than yesterday. She is very moody today and ask to go home already. She continues taking the herbs.

29 October 2012: Good morning. Last night when I get back to the hospital, she has just passed motion a lot and smelly after 1 week of constipation. After 4 packs of platelets infusion yesterday night, and 1 bottle of sodium chloride she looks more energized but she still feels weak. Her main issues since last night until now:
1. Her chest pain – the feeling of something pressing the chest.
2. Her difficulty to swallow. Doctor found out that her throat has a lot of white fungus.

3. Her cocyx pinched so even after we cover it with duoderm, she still feel the pain and uncomfortable. No wound found actually.

30 October 2012: Her condition suddenly changed. She told me at around 5.30 a.m. she passed out stools and urine on the bed. After everything cleaned up, she cannot open her eyes, she is in coma state. It happened for almost one hour and suddenly she woke up by herself and asking to change position for her buttocks. Doctor is going to take the blood test again to make sure that she has the electrolytes she needs at the moment. While in coma, her oxygen level, glucose, blood pressure and temperature were good. The doctor explained to me that the cancer may have spread of to the brain. The cancer had attacked the brain so we should be prepared that she will be in this state on and off. Or it may be also because of low sodium. That is why he arranged to take another blood test just now.

He cannot dare to give blood transfusion at this moment as the risky of allergy is high. So, he planned to give her Eprex instead of blood transfusion. Her chest is now bruised because this morning a nurse tried to rub her chest very hard and of course this happen because the platelets are too low.

30 October 2012: Doctor will continue to give platelets, 4 packs today. And sodium chloride. For blood transfusion it is a bit risky because my sister’s antibody is positive. So the doctor said it is a bit risky due to allergy.

30 October 2012 P.M: We change our plan to go back tomorrow night to Jakarta. Doctor suggested to go back as soon as possible. Doctor still gives sodium and we are still waiting for platelets donor. No blood transfusion as the risk of allergy is high. The chance is 50%.

Her stomach swelled because I stopped giving her Abdominal Distention tea, only Lower Edema. But this morning I give her Abdominal Distention. After infusion her stomach becomes bigger and the fluid comes out more. She passed out less urine. This morning she passed a lot of stools together with urine. Leg still swelling sometimes looks bigger and sometimes smaller. Doctor suggest to give the blood transfusion in hospital in Jakarta, because if giving now may be afraid of allergic reaction such as swelling on face, arms and redness. Afraid we cannot go back this Friday.

30 October 2012: Yes. Thank you doctor. I will keep the pigtail (tube from her abdomen) to Jakarta, as the internist doctor in Jakarta whom we have already contacted was also suggested that we keep the pigtail. Yes, I have got the tickets back to Jakarta tomorrow night. My brother and sister will come tonight to help me bring her home. She is now having the platelets transfusion, 4 packets. During the day, she has no complaints of pain or anything. She is just calm, alert and silent. I only give her Capsules A, C, and D. After we get back to Jakarta, we will continue giving her the herbal teas. Thanks a lot for all your kind attention, support and good cooperation. I will keep communicating with you and and updating her conditions.

3 November 2012 (in a hospital in Jakarta): Good morning. Since yesterday night 7 p.m., she had to struggle to drink water. Until this morning, she has not eaten anything. She is still continuing the sodium concentrate 3% (2nd bottle) and amino acids (2nd). She told me last night that she felt getting worse, she couldn’t even open her eyes, her body has no energy, and now it is really hard to swallow. What do you think of it? What we can do? Is there any solution for her esophagus? So we stop the herbs at this moment cause her difficulty to swallow. Need your advice.

4 November 2012: Dear Dr. Chris, with this email, I would like to inform you that she has already left this world today at 18.30. Since this morning, she is very calm and peaceful. Thank you very much for your kind attention and assistance during this period. Kind regards.

Reply: Thank you for telling me this sad news. Though sad, I also feel that this is the best medicine for her. You have done you best to help her and it seems there is no cure. It is no use to prolong her suffering so much. Though I feel it is sad thing to happen but I also think there is no other choice. Please take care of yourself now. Chris

8 November 2012: Good morning. This morning my beloved sister will be cremated at 10.00 a.m. May her rest in peace.

Once again, on behalf of my sister, I would like to thank you for all your kind attention and good cooperation. Thank you and regards,

Reply: Thanks so much MM for writing. Please take care of yourself. You have done your best for her. Chris

Would I Take On Such A Case Again?

Perhaps I was sticking out my neck out too far. But I agreed to take on this case because at that point in time, I felt inside me that this unfortunate lady desperately needed my help. And I had to do it. Would I do this again? Probably never again, unless I hear a loud thunder from heaven asking me to do so!

I just wonder what would happen if this story ended up differently, would I be made a scapegoat? Would they say that I kill the patient by giving her herbs and not the doctor’s medication? You can never guess the fallout from this case and what others may accuse me of. But I remember telling MM this, I may not be able to help your sister because her case is way beyond me, but I may be able to help you – the one who is still living and not sick. Perhaps the experience you go through with CA Care can help you in some ways in the future.

On reflection, did CA Care make a difference in this case? Make your own conclusion! Cast your first stone if you may.

Let me end by quoting Glenn Miller, M.D., (in the Introduction of Ancient Herbs, Modern Medicine):

Throughout my career in medicine, I have always had great respect for my patient’s opinions and have advocated using whatever it took to give patients the best results.
I come to understand that there is more than one way to effectively treat patients. If Western medicine did not have the right or best answer, I was free to search for a better answer. When we integrated Chinese and Western medicines, the battle against disease had a much greater chance of being won.
The efficacy of Chinese medicine can rival that of Western medicine – and for many chronic illnesses, Chinese medicine is actually more effective and a better choice. The strength of Chinese medicine comes from three thousand years of treating illnesses and promoting health.

Part 2: Eleven to Nineteen Drugs A Day Could Not Cure Her — Rather Die Than Suffer More

This case study consists of three parts.

Part 1: The High Cost of Staying Alive in a Private Hospital

Part 3: The Last Option: CA Care Therapy After Chemotherapy Had Failed

On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 11:18 a.m., the patient’s sister, MM, wrote me this email.

Dear Mr. Chris,
I saw your website accidentally this morning. I tried to search about the other ways of giving treatment to cancer patient whom doctor has already given up after giving chemotherapy treatment for 7 times. The first and second chemotherapy were given every 2 weeks. The third was given weekly 3 times and fourth chemotherapy given 2 cycles. The last 2 cycles of 4th chemotherapy showed the CA 125 (CA 19.9) increase … Based on these lab tests, the doctor suggested to stop using the same chemotherapy drug and change to other drugs. This is to be done on 16 October, and stressing that the drug is not for curing but only for prolonging life.

After discussing with family, I plan to go for herbal and found your website. At the same time, we are now staying at XYZ Hospital, Penang. So, I already tried to make an appointment with you this Friday at 3 p.m. and shall bring all medical report of the patient. For your information the patient is my youngest sister.

Reply: If you are in Penang, come and see me tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. Go to www.cacare.org and you see map in there. No need to bring the patient, but bring all medical reports. I don’t think you need to do the chemo tomorrow yet. Wait until you come and see me first.

MM wrote, She is very weak, hard to walk and sleep, her tummy getting bigger of the tumor cancer and liquid inside. Actually I would like to ask your opinion about the need to continue the next chemotherapy which doctor said is not meant to cure only to prolong life. The next chemotherapy is tomorrow on Tuesday.

Reply: I don’t think you need to do the chemo tomorrow yet. Wait until you come and see me first. Chris.

Meaningless Decrease and Increase of Tumour Markers

The initial chemo treatment cause both CA 125 and CA 19.9 to drop drastically. But that did not mean much. After more chemo, these markers started to rise again. And it was at this stage that the oncologist told the patient’s sister that the treatment did not work. She needed to go for more chemo using other drugs. Or she could just go home – and go ahead and take herbs if she would like to do so!

Date	CA 125	CA 19.9
10 August 2012	6,794	90,055
22 August 2012	2,798	49,301
18 September 2012	1,260	14,694
25 September 2012	1,462	21,496
2 October 2012	1,739	25,110

Do You Need Tumour Markers to Tell You That Patient Was Getting Better or Worse?

Medications While In Hospital

Based on the medical bills, MM was given the following medications while in the hospital.

Table 1: Medical drugs given to patient during one and half months in hospital

Drug	Treat	Side effects
Albumin Injection	Lack of albumin in the body	Allergic reactions – fever and chills, rash, nausea, vomiting, hypotension. circulatory failure, cardiac failure, pulmonary edema, bronchospasm.
Buscopan or Hyoscine inj	Abdominal cramps	Breathing difficulties, constipation, dry mouth, eye or eyesight problem, faster heart rate, dizzy, lowered blood pressure, confusion, reduced sweating, skin hypersensitivity, urinary retention.
Carboplatin	Chemo drug for cancer	Short of breath, rapid heart rate, trouble concentrating, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin, fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat, stomach pain, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice, numbness or tingly feeling in hands or feet, hearing or vision problems, low magnesium (confusion, uneven heart rate, jerking muscle movements, muscle weakness or limp feeling, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, tired feeling.
Chlorpheniramine	Allergies, itchy, sneezing	Fast or uneven heart rate, mood changes, tremor, seizure (convulsions), easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, short of breath, urinating less than usual or not at all, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, nose, or throat, constipation, blurred vision, feeling nervous or restless.
Controloc	Acid reflux	Most serious: allergies – hives, swelling or closing of air passages and throat. Less serious: flatulence, stomach upsets, diarrhea , insomnia.
Dexamethasone	Anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressant steroid	Acne, dry skin, thinning skin, bruising or discoloration, slow wound healing, increased sweating, headache, dizziness, spinning sensation, nausea, stomach pain, bloating, muscle weakness,vision problems, swelling, rapid weight gain, severe depression, seizure (convulsions), bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood, low potassium (confusion, uneven heart rate, extreme thirst, increased urination, leg discomfort, muscle weakness or limp feeling), dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats), sleep problems (insomnia).
Diphenoxylate / atropine (Lomotil)	Diarrhea	Stomach pain or bloating, diarrhea (watery or bloody), numbness of hands or feet, depressed mood, confusion, fast heart rate, urinating less than usual or not at all, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, tired or restless feeling, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, skin rash, or itching.
Dormicum	Sedative	Gastrointestinal disturbances, changes in libido, skin reactions, anterograde amnesia (selective memory loss), depression, restlessness, agitation, irritability, aggressiveness, delusion, rages, nightmares, hallucinations, abrupt withdrawal of Dormicum may provoke seizures.
DURAGESIC patch	Pain	Slow heart rate, weak or shallow breathing, sighing, severe drowsiness, confusion, extreme fear, unusual thoughts or behavior; feeling like you might pass out, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, drowsiness, tired feeling, white patches or sores inside mouth or lips.
Eprex	Anemia, bone marrow to produce red blood cells	Hypertensive crisis, brain problems or seizures, nausea, deep vein thrombosis – this may be fatal, diarrhea, flu or flu-like symptoms including fever, jointpain, musclepain or tenderness, pulmonary embolism – this may be fatal, skin rash, vomiting, heart problems, oedema of the extremities.
Heparinised Saline injection	Anticoagulants, prevent blocking by blood clots	Unexplained nosebleeds, bleeding from gums when brushing teeth, red or dark brown urine, bloody or black stools, rash, itching, hives on the skin, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body, shortness of breath, wheezing or trouble breathing, fever, chills, runny nose, watering eyes, vomiting, nausea, itchy soles of the feet.
A-Hydrocort	Allergic reactions, arthritis, blood diseases, breathing problems	Headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, restlessness, depression, anxiety, unusual moods, increased sweating, increased hair growth, reddened face, acne, thinned skin, easy bruising, tiny purple skin spots, irregular or absent menstrual periods, skin rash, swollen feet, ankles, and lower legs, vision problems, eye pain, muscle pain and weakness, black, tarry stool, unusual bleeding.
Intaxel inj	Paclitaxel (India), chemo drug	Decrease of blood cells, Numbness, tingling or burning of hands and feet, Increased blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain and shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats), Seizure, pale skin and unusual weakness, Fever, chills, body aches and flu symptoms, Joint and muscle pain, swelling, redness, skin color, mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or hair loss.
Kytril inj	Vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy.	Fast or pounding heartbeats, fever, body aches, flu symptoms, easy bruising or bleeding; unusual weakness, headache, stomach pain or upset, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness; or

sleep problems (insomnia).LexaproAntidepressantConstipation, Insomnia, Dizziness, dry mouth, headache, nausea, exhaustion, Hallucinations, irregular heartbeat, panic attack, allergic reactions, seizures, stomach pain, deteriorating depression, mood change, irritability, severe insomnia, breath shortening, fatigue.Lignocaine InjectionDisturbances in the heart’s rhythmNausea, drowsiness, mental/mood changes, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision changes, tremors, numbness, headache, backache, fever, unusually fast or slow pulse, trouble breathing, seizures, chest pain, allergic reactions – rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing.MetoclopramideHeartburn, nauseaTremors or shaking in of arms or legs, uncontrolled muscle movements in face, slow or jerky muscle movements, problems with balance or walking, stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation, jittery feeling, trouble staying still, swelling, feeling short of breath, rapid weight gain, jaundice, seizure (convulsions), feeling restless, drowsy, tired, or dizzy, headache, sleep problems (insomnia), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, urinating more than usual.Morphine Sulfate InjectionPainMost serious: respiratory depression. Dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, upset stomach, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, rash, difficulty urinating, fainting.NeurontinEpileptic and seizuresDizziness, drowsiness, weakness, tired feeling, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, blurred vision, headache, dry mouth, loss of balance or coordination, increased seizures, fever, swollen glands, body aches, flu symptoms, skin rash, easy bruising or bleeding, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness, upper stomach pain, loss of appetite, dark urine, jaundice, chest pain, irregular heart rhythm, feeling short of breath, confusion, nausea and vomiting, swelling, rapid weight gain, urinating less than usual or not at all, new or worsening cough, fever, trouble breathing; or rapid back and forth movement of your eyes.OxycotinPain killerConstipation, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, itching , vomiting, dry mouth, weakness, sweating, loss of appetite, insomnia or abnormal dreams, fever or chills, abdominal pain (stomach pain), diarrhea , indigestion, or heartburn, nervousness, anxiety , or an unusual pleasant feeling (euphoria), shortness of breath, twitching, hiccups, slow heart rate (bradycardia), difficulty passing urine, low blood pressure (hypotension), slow or irregular breathing, ringing of the ears (tinnitus).OxyNorm (oxycodone)Opioid painkillerItching, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, headache, sleepiness and drowsiness along with dizziness and euphoria (extreme happiness and feelings of well-being), difficulty passing urine, constipation, upset stomach, loss of appetite, slow body movements or tiredness, insomnia, disorientation, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, vision problems, hiccups, shortness of breath, fast or deep breathing, confusion, nervousness and anxiety or hallucinations and hypothermia (a drop below the normal body temperature), facial flushing, rigid muscles and nervousness as well as difficulty swallowing, edema (swelling) of the legs, ankles and feet.PanadolPainAllergic reaction – hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice, liver and kidney damage.SpironolactoneFluid retention (edema), low potassium levels in the bloodMild nausea or vomiting, dizziness, headache, gas, stomach pain, numbness or tingly feeling,muscle pain or weakness, slow, fast, or uneven heart rate, feeling drowsy, restless, or light-headed, urinating less than usual or not at all, shallow breathing, tremors, confusion, nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice, severe skin reaction — fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.StilnoxInsomnia and brain disordersHeadaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, anterograde amnesia, hallucinations, delusions, altered thought patterns, difficulty maintaining balance^,euphoria and/or dysphoria, impaired judgment and reasoning, when stopped, rebound insomnia may occur.XanaxAnxiety, depressionBlurred vision, headache, memory problems, trouble concentrating, sleep problems (insomnia), swelling in your hands or feet, muscle weakness, lack of balance or coordination, slurred speech, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, increased sweating, dry mouth, stuffy nose, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting self, unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger, confusion, hyperactivity, agitation, hostility, hallucinations, feeling like passing out, urinating less than usual or not at all, chest pain, pounding heartbeats or fluttering in chest, uncontrolled muscle movements, tremor, seizure (convulsions) drowsiness, dizziness, feeling tired or irritable.ZantacUlcers in stomach and intestinesDrowsiness, dizziness, sleep problems (insomnia), nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, chest pain, fever, feeling short of breath, coughing up green or yellow mucus, easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, fast or slow heart rate, problems with vision, fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash.ZofranNausea and vomitingDiarrhea or constipation, weakness or tired feeling, fever, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision or temporary vision, short of breath, fainting, fast or pounding heartbeats, slow heart rate, trouble breathing, anxiety, agitation, shivering, feeling like you might pass out, urinating less than usual or not at all.

Let me ask you to ponder critically what Dr. Andrew Weil, graduate of Harvard Medical School and currently Director of Integrative Medicine at University of Arizona, said In Health & Healing:

The average patient in a hospital today is placed on half a dozen drugs simultaneously. How some of these chemicals react with each other is anybody’s guess. Moreover, a significant percentage of drug doses in hospitals involve errors: wrong drug, the wrong patient, the wrong dose, the wrong time …. Adverse drug reactions are the leading variety of iatrogenic illness (iatrogenic illness is caused by the effects of medical treatment by the doctors).
Voltaire penned this magnificent snipe: Physicians pour drugs of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, into humans of which they know nothing.
The excesses of drugging in allopathic medicine are one of its worse sins.
I find allopathic medicine glaringly deficient in theory and philosophy of any sort … they have no clear conception or theory of what disease is, nor any general concept of treatment.

We understand – the doctors in the hospital were trying their best to help the patient. They did what they knew based on what they were taught in medical school. But Dr. Weil – a Harvard trained medical doctor concluded that:I find allopathic medicine glaringly deficient in theory and philosophy of any sort … they have no clear conception or theory of what disease is, nor any general concept of treatment.

Why did he say such a thing against his own profession? Let me venture to explain. Take a critical look at the table of medications above again. MM was given 11 to 19 drugs (either orally or infusion) each day while in the hospital. What do these drugs do while in the body? It is anybody imagination! And what is the purpose of each drug – trying to “repair” the damage caused by another drug?

Table 2. Patient received 19 drugs on chemo-day – 18 September 2012

Table 3. Patient received 18 drugs three days after receiving chemotherapy – 21 September 2012

Table 4: Patient received 11 drugs on an ordinary day – 6 October 2012.

Even on an ordinary day (Table 4), her daily staple was 11 drugs consisted of the following:

Albumin injection.
Three types of pain medication – Durogesic patch, Oxycontin, and Oxynorm.
Two types of anti-depression and anxiety medication – Laxpro and Xanax.
Medication to acid reflex.
Medication to prevent blood clot.
Medication for nausea and vomiting.
Medication for low potassium in blood.
Medication for insomnia or sleeping pill.

Why did she need 11 drugs a day?

Why did she need albumin every day?

Where did the albumin go to after infusion each day?

Ask this question: If you give these medications (11 to 19 types of drugs) a day to any healthy person– what do you think would become of that person? Would he/she not go ko-ko?

Study the various side effects that can be caused by each drug received by the patient.

Let’s take albumin injection for example. She was given this injection almost every day for the past one and a half months. This injection may give rise to various side effects such as allergic reactions – fever and chills, rash, nausea, vomiting, hypotension.

So she has to take medication for nausea and acid reflex, for example, to take care of the side effects of albumin infusion.

But this is not all. There are 10 more drugs that she was taking and all of them have side effects.

For example, she took 3 types of pain killers – Durogesic patch, Oxycontin, and Oxynorm. The possible side effects of these drugs are: Slow heart rate, weak or shallow breathing, severe drowsiness, confusion, extreme fear, unusual thoughts or behavior; feeling like you might pass out, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, tired feeling, dizziness, itching , sweating, loss of appetite, insomnia or abnormal dreams, fever or chills, abdominal pain (stomach pain), diarrhea , indigestion, or heartburn, shortness of breath, twitching, difficulty passing urine, low blood pressure (hypotension), slow or irregular breathing, slow body movements or tiredness, disorientation, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, vision problems, shortness of, nervousness and anxiety or hallucinations and hypothermia (a drop below the normal body temperature), facial flushing, rigid muscles and nervousness, difficulty swallowing, swelling of the legs, ankles and feet.

Looking at the list, is there any wonder that the patient was asked to take two types of anti-depression and anxiety drugs and one type of sleeping pill? Again, these three drugs – anti-depression / anxiety and sleeping pills, would by themselves bring on more side effects. So the list of side effects grows and grows.

On 18 October 2012, patient’s sister wrote:

Her main issues now:
1. Tummy hardened.
2. Hard to breathe.
3. Area on upper abdominal and gastric pain.
4. Swelling of legs.
5. Some redness of allergic that I observed maybe from the vitamin and milk infusion.

6. Hard to relax and cannot sleep well.

7. Tense.

Is this what Dr. Weil was trying to tell us when he wrote: The excesses of drugging in allopathic medicine are one of is worse sins? To Professor Jane Plant, this sounds like a battle between the disease and the treatments – with the patient as the battle ground!

Dr. Weil also said this: Adverse drug reactions are the leading variety of iatrogenic illness (iatrogenic illness is caused by the effects of medical treatment by the doctors).

The question we would like to ask is: To what extent are the drugs given to patient causing the problem? In other words, are her problems caused by cancer or by the drugs that she was asked to take?

Some important questions to ask are:

What is the aim of all these medications? Just to keep the patient alive?

What are the medications that would improve her health and make her healthy?

Is there hope that she would be able to come out of this staple diet of medicines and become normal and healthy again?

What is the philosophy of the treatment? Often we hear, Your cancer can be treated! Yes, it is possible to treat the patient by giving her medications but where is the cure?

Dr. Weil said it out again loud and clear: I find allopathic medicine glaringly deficient in theory and philosophy of any sort … they have no clear conception or theory of what disease is, nor any general concept of treatment.

(Note: As I was writing this sentence, someone sent me an email with this message: Doctors destroy health.)

As a conclusion, let me be clear. I am not here blaming the doctors. They have done their best in wanting to help and save life but unfortunately they have to operate within their medical system, which unfortunately is still stuck in a quagmire.

Part 1: The High Cost of Staying Alive in a Private Hospital

This case study consists of three parts.

Part 2: Eleven to Nineteen Drugs A Day Could Not Cure Her – Rather Die Than Suffer More

Part 3:The Last Option: CA Care Therapy After Chemotherapy Had Failed

This is a tragic story of MS, a single, 41-year-old lady from Jakarta.

In early May 2012, MS felt uncomfortable in her abdomen. She felt something moving inside. She went to see an internist in Jakarta. A blood test showed elevated CA 125 – more than 1400. MS was asked to go and see a gynaecologist. A ultrasound was done and the gynecologist told her to go home and pray. She was told consult an oncologist. MS went to see a doctor who treated her with semi—chemo injection.

I was rather curious and enquired more about this treatment! This treatment was provided by a “retired” medical doctor who sees many patients a day. MS was given a concoction of “semi-chemo’ injection every day for two months. For her diet, MS was allowed to take only broccoli juice, egg white (albumin) – 12 eggs a day (4 eggs, thrice a day), banana and pears. MS felt better for the first month of treatment. But in the second month she felt the food rather boring. Her abdomen became bloated. In short, her condition worsened.

MS and her elder sister (MM) came to a private hospital in Penang for treatment in mid-August 2012. She stayed two weeks in Penang and received two cycles of chemotherapy. She went home to Jakarta but did not get any better.

After three days in Jakarta her condition deteriorated (drop!) She was admitted into a hospital in Jakarta due to low albumin. Her abdomen became bigger in size.

On 28 August 2012 MS and MM came back to Penang again and was admitted into the same private hospital. And she has been in this hospital up to this day – almost one and a half months. While in Penang she received seven cycles of chemotherapy. According to MM, the family had already spent RM 100,000 but the patient was not getting any better – in reality MS’s condition had worsened.

Since the current chemo regimen failed, the oncologist suggested switching to another regimen consisted of Caelyx and Topotecan. She was told that this would not cure her, but could prolong her life by about six to eight months. This information shocked MM and triggered here to try and look for another option. MM told me that after a short prayer that night she went off to sleep. The next morning she went to the internet and searched for kanker ovarium. This was her first attempt to find information for herself. There she found CA Care on the YouTube.

MM came to see us on 16 October 2012. She brought along a stack of medical bills but not much medical reports!

From her medical bills, I get to learn many things about staying in a private hospital.

1. It is not cheap to stay alive

The total cost for a 41-day-stay in a private hospital in Penang is almost RM 86,000. This works out to about an average of RM 2,000 per day.

Daily Cost in Hospital	RM (Ringgit Malaysia)
28 August 2012	3,932.70
29 August 2012	1,568.50
30 August 2012	1,436.20
31 August 2012	1,590.80
1 September 2012	2,065.20
2 September 2012	1,917.50
3 September 2012	2,006.00
4 September 2012	1,355.70
5 September 2012	1,723.90
6 September 2012	1,804.30
7 September 2012	1,609.80
8 September 2012	1,663.00
9 September 2012	1,618.30
10 September 2012	1,859.60
11 September 2012	2,459.80
12 September 2012	1,592.50
13 September 2012	1,220.50
14 September 2012	2,999.70
15 September 2012	1,264.50
16 September 2012	1,531.50
17 September 2012	1,178.00
18 September 2012	4,000.80
19 September 2012	2,389.80
20 September 2012	1,479.50
21 September 2012	4,041.70
22 September 2012	2,055.30
23 September 2012	1,856.60
24 September 2012	3,016.20
25 September 2012	2,826.20
26 September 2012	2,312.20
27 September 2012	3,036.10
28 September 2012	2,642.50
29 September 2012	2,164.60
30 September 2013	2,038.50
1 October 2012	2,108.10
2 October 2012	2,922.70
3 October 2012	2,605.40
4 October 2012	1,418.70
5 October 2012	1,664.80
6 October 2012	1,394.20
7 October 2012	1,014.40
Total cost of 41 days in hospital	85,386.30
Average cost of hospital per day	2,082.59

2. The Most Expensive and Cheapest Seven Days in Hospital

At certain days the cost could be as high as RM 4,000 and the cheapest day is about RM 1,000

The most expensive 7 days in hospital
21 September 2012	4,041.70
18 September 2012	4,000.80
28 August 2012	3,932.70
27 September 2012	3,036.10
24 September 2012	3,016.20
14 September 2012	2,999.70
2 October 2012	2,922.70

The cheapest 7 days in hospital
4 October 2012	1,418.70
6 October 2012	1,394.20
4 September 2012	1,355.70
15 September 2012	1,264.50
13 September 2012	1,220.50
17 September 2012	1,178.00
7 October 2012	1,014.40

3. What Makes A Hospital Stay Expensive?

The cost of a hospital stay consist of: room charge, doctors’ fees, nursing care, laboratory services, medical supplies, medication / pharmacy charges, procedures – dressing or nursing, X-ray and CT scan charges.

Laboratory services	RM (Ringgit Malaysia)
CA 125	85.20
CA 19.9	85.20
Full blood picture	53.20
Liver Function Test	47.20
Creatinine	39.60
Prothrombin time (PT)	47.20
Cancer Treatment Monitoring Profile	220.40
Blood-screening and processing	304.00
Blood transfusion	100.00
Imaging
CT scan	880.00
X-ray Charges	800.00
Professional Services
Doctor attendance fee	80.00
Dietetic for follow up	35.00
Nursing care	60.00
Lodging & Physical Facilities
Lodger	20.00
Room – single	310.00
Regular meal – single room	60.00
Clinical waste	10.00
Ripple mattress	20.00

4. The Week of Chemotherapy in Hospital

The Week of Chemotherapy
18 September 2012	4,000.80
19 September 2012	2,389.80
20 September 2012	1,479.50
21 September 2012	4,041.70
22 September 2012	2,055.30
23 September 2012	1,856.60
24 September 2012	3,016.20
Total cost for the week	18,839.90

On 18 September 2012 MS underwent chemotherapy. The drugs used were Carboplatin and Intaxel (generic Indian paclitaxel). And these are the drugs that matters – trying to “kill” the cancer. Take note that the cost of Carboplatin and Intaxel are only RM 363.30 + RM 363.30. But the total cost for the day in hospital was RM 4,000.80. Just imagine, it would be most wonderful if Carboplatin + Intaxel were not toxic – treating cancer would be cheap and everyone could afford it! But the problem is, chemo drugs are toxic, i.e. poisonous! Because of that a lot of other drugs are needed to support and keep the patient alive! Study the details of the costs and types of drugs used for that day.

Itemised bill of 18 September 2012

After receiving the chemo injection, patients generally suffer side effects. Three days later the situation had probably become severe and the patient needed more support. The total bill for the day shot up to RM 4,041.70. Then three days later, further support was needed and this time the bill came to RM 3,016.20

Itemised bill of 21 September 2012

Itemised bill of 24 September 2012

(For information on what these drugs are for, go to Part 2 of this story)

From the above, I learned that to administer a drug to “kill cancer” which costs only RM 363.30 + RM 363.30, patient had to spend more than RM 18,000 in the form of supporting drugs and services. Again I say, how nice it would have been if that RM363 + RM 363.30-chemo-drugs were not toxic to healthy cells. Then we don’t need all those supporting drugs and don’t have to incur all those additional costs.

Can someone “invent”, synthesize or make a drug for cancer that is entirely safe? Or it is AGAINST their vested interest to look into such a proposition? I am not naïve when I ask these questions. Read the quotations below: