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'How to Starve Cancer' book by Jane McLelland

User
Posted 29 Aug 2023 at 20:36

Hi ohwow,


Yes, I think it's worth sticking with the statins.  If your heart consultant thinks you should increase the dose, would that be a problem for you?


As an aside, I was previously prescribed 75 mg. Aspirin, but the G.P. took me off that about a year before I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.  In her book, Jane McLelland recommends Aspirin, and I understand that Cancer Research UK are now conducting trials of a variety of doses of Aspirin, to see which (if any) are an effective dose.  As a consequence, I have  bought some privately, as they are available without prescription. but you can't do that with some of Jane McLelland's other recommendations (e.g. Metformin).


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 30 Aug 2023 at 01:04

It seems Berberine is quite similar to metformin, and it can be bought without a prescription. 


Leila 

User
Posted 30 Aug 2023 at 14:59

Thanks Leila,


Yes, Berberine is supposed to work to lower blood sugar levels (similar to Metformin), so I've added it to my cocktail of vitamins and minerals.


By the way, I don't know if you ever listen to The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4.  the presenter, Sheila Dillon, is a cancer survivor, and she did a programme recently on diet and cancer.  She mentioned "Lion's Mane", a derivative of a special mushroom.  I've added that to the mix too - lol.  


Hope your husband David continues to do well.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 30 Aug 2023 at 20:40
Hi JedSee,

On the point you asked about statin dose. I'm already on 40 and was advised that's the real target (no noticeable side effects so far), they just request 80 as a sort of "precaution". There is some evidence that 80 can have some unpleasant side effects but difficult to know until I give it a go...which I think likely I will.

Anyway if I wasn't taking statin but had PCa, I'd be pressing the GP to prescribe.

Really hope the supplements you've put together help.

User
Posted 30 Aug 2023 at 20:51

Every now and then you read or hear about  a diet that can cure cancer or slow it down but there is no scientific basis for it. Healthy diet is obviously a good thing

 'Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.'                    Richard Feynman (1918-1988) Nobel Prize laureate


 


 

User
Posted 31 Aug 2023 at 21:28

Thanks Ohwow,


Glad to hear that you're already taking a good dose of statins.  As you say, you have to weigh up whether an even higher dose is likely to have unpleasant side effects, especially if the benefits are uncertain.  Quality of life is important too.


I don't know whether the supplements that I'm taking are make the slightest difference, but they don't see to be doing me any harm, so I'll keep taking them for now - lol.


Best wishes,


JedSee. 

User
Posted 31 Aug 2023 at 21:41

Thanks Pratap,


I take your point about the lack of scientific evidence for diets in relation to cancer.  However, one problem is that a lot of the research into treatments is funded by the pharmaceutical industry.  They have little to gain from researching treatments which might make people less reliant on new pharmaceuticals.   (Jane Mc Lelland's book focusses on diet and cheap off-label drugs whose patent has expired).  One might think that the government would have a vested interest in doing their own research into such cheap options, since it would save the NHS a lot of money, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  Although Cancer Research UK is now undertaking a trial called "Add Aspirin" which, as the name suggests, is looking into whether Aspirin can have beneficial effects in conjunction with standard treatments.  (Jane McLelland would also say "Add Statins and Metformin").


Always appreciate your input.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 07:13
Probably better to just remove sugar and avoid carbohydrates as that is the root cause of issues Metformin and statins seek to remediate.
User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 09:27

One of the UK's experts in men's health, and also a specialist in both diabetes and hormone therapy, thinks all men on hormone therapy should be offered Metformin and a statin automatically, just to counter the effects loss of Testosterone has on those related body functions, pushing you more towards metabolic syndrome.


The other thing is that without Testosterone, HDL cholesterol is no longer a "good" cholesterol, as it can't carry LDL back to the liver. This means the HDL/LDL ratio (which is what people tend to keep an eye on) becomes meaningless, and it's the total cholesterol level you need to keep an eye on instead.

User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 12:56

Hi francij1,


Yes, that would seem to make sense: go to the source.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 12:57

Thanks Andy62,


That's certainly worth remembering.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 22:31
I started on the late Dr Jane Plant's diet and lifestyle changes back in 2008/9 which were based on her own fight against breast cancer.

Her advice was based on the studies she made into the diet of people in countries with low incidence of breast and prostate cancer.
Much of her advice has strong similarities to that of Jane McLelland's
.
I find it interesting that back in the late 2000s when I discussed the diary free, no red meats concept with consultants most refused to accept that it would be of any benefit to men seeking to prevent/slow the progress of PCa, yet now many of them readily advice adopting such dietary changes.
Roger
User
Posted 01 Sep 2023 at 22:36
Err no they don't! In fact the true culprit is slowly emerging sugar, carbs and processed food!

The obsession with cutting out nutrient dense foods we have evolved to eat is frankly dangerous.
User
Posted 04 Sep 2023 at 17:15

Thanks for your input, Rogcal.


Hope the diet works for you.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

User
Posted 04 Sep 2023 at 17:17

Thanks Francij1


I don't know anything about the Jane Plant diet.  I've just read the Jane McLelland book, but I don't  claim to be a disciple - just interested enough to have tried some of her theories.  She advocates white meat and fish, but minimal red meat and dairy (e.g.using soya instead).  She would completely agree that sugar, high carbs and processed foods are all bad.  


Thanks for your input.


Best wishes,


JedSee.

Edited by member 04 Sep 2023 at 17:24  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 04 Sep 2023 at 17:46

Seems to be working for me.  Almost two decades and no treatment required.  Good luck to you all and keep on fighting the little buggers.

Roger
User
Posted 06 Sep 2023 at 00:29
I fell and broke my hip in 2019 leading to a total hip replacement (huge thanks to our wonderful NHS!). The consultant enquired about my diet so I explained the reason why it included minmal dairy.

To which he responded that this lack of dairy may explain why my hip had broken rather than just bruised. He said tests showed my bones were brittle, therefore to reduce the risk of further problems I should switch to drinking a pint of milk daily as well as adding vitamin D supplements daily and increasing my exposure to sunshine.

Eighteen months later my psa had shot up from around 2.1 to 6.9, leading to a diagnosis of recurrent PCa. Now of course I am wondering to what extent, if any, this outcome related to switching to a dairy-rich diet.

all of which leaves me wondering, which diet do I now follow, one that's dairy rich and may reduce the risk of more broken bones in the future or one that's sans dairy and may therefore help slow the advance of recurrent PCa?

Thoughts?
User
Posted 06 Sep 2023 at 06:30

Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place. I am on ADT for life and got put on alendronic acid, due to osteperosis risk. My oncologist said that diet would have little impact on bones as a result. I have largely cut out dairy, so am hoping the alendronic acid is doing its job. I also try to get some calcium via vegetables and it milk with added calcium, but am probably not getting as much as I used to. 

User
Posted 06 Sep 2023 at 11:38

I wonder why the consultant didn't suggest calciferol instead of milk, given that you'd told him why you avoided dairy products.


Although I'm no expert in such matters but after keeping my PCa under control through dietary changes I made almost 20 years ago, I feel I've learnt a bit about somethings and milk is one of them.


It is believed that the hormones in the milk are what impacts upon the prostate and how the cells are adversely affected and as far as I am aware calcium plays no part in affecting those cells.


Calciferol is an effective calcium replacement and it would have been safer for someone in your position than milk to ensure sufficient calcium absorption into the bones.

Edited by member 06 Sep 2023 at 11:39  | Reason: Not specified

Roger
User
Posted 06 Sep 2023 at 12:10

Cancer is a very complicated disease, therefor anyone recommending a diet to delay and/or cure the disease should not be taken seriously. Certain diets are better for our health generally and avoiding too much sugar, fat etc is a good thing. One of the arguments put forward is that commercial  interests stop the developments of cheap and easy solutions to serious health issues has some merit (see below) but there is no substitute for scientific evidence. People are desperate so they will clutch at straws and I don't blame them.


This is Pratap's wife writing now:


A case in point being that plant based menopausal treatment through the use of transdermal natural progesterone cream, which I have used for decades now, has taken decades to reach any kind of universal acceptance. Since it is a naturally derived substance, plant based and not a highly chemicalised product, Big Pharma is not interested in it as they can't make big bucks from its development. See www.wellsprings-health.com. Many wives of a vast majority of men suffering from cancer are in the age group would benefit from looking at this site if they can't tolerate conventional HRT.


 

Edited by member 06 Sep 2023 at 12:26  | Reason: Not specified

 'Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.'                    Richard Feynman (1918-1988) Nobel Prize laureate


 


 

 
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