What I Did and Do and Why - Kaiulani Facciani

What I Did and Do and Why (eBook)

A naturopathic protocol that helps me to survive and thrive

Kaiulani Facciani (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2019 | 1. Auflage
199 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-5439-9096-6 (ISBN)

In 2012, I lost full use of both legs and one arm, was told I would likely not walk again, and would be dead within weeks. Cancerous tumors populated my lungs, liver, lymph, and every vertebrae. I took charge of my healing and survived against all odds. A year later, nine brain tumors were found and I was given weeks to live... again. I am mobile and have been 'No Evidence of Disease' since May 2014. I share my protocol to help you navigate your healing journey. I believe in you. You don't 'beat' stage IV breast cancer. The most you can do is grab the snarling wolf by the throat and hold it at arm's length, trying not to be intimidated by the fangs and the spittle and the intensity of its desire to rip you to pieces. If you're lucky, you temporarily tame it or it may tire itself out for awhile. But you are always on your guard, knowing it will eventually awaken and attack again. Right now, he is currently snoring softly at my feet. (be vewy, vewy qui-yet).

***

Chapter Six:

What I did: Bone & Brain Metastases

Cancer is typed and treated by its origin, regardless of where it travels to. Western medicine’s ‘standard of care’ (SOC) is determined by that origin. In my case, primary breast cancer metastasized to bones, lungs, liver, lymph and eventually brain. My treatment plan reflected that and differed from someone whose cancer had begun in their lungs and traveled. So, one’s lung cancer brain metastases will be treated differently than another’s breast cancer brain metastases. That being said, there are some principles that apply in any case.

Bone metastases

Any type of cancer that metastasizes via the bloodstream can infiltrate the bone marrow. The probability for bone metastases is higher in breast, prostate, and lung cancers than other. Bone metastases are detected with SPECT (bone scan), CT, and MRI scans and metabolic cancerous activity may be seen in PET scans. When cancer moves into bone, it weakens it and it can be very painful. The sponginess of bones also makes an excellent hiding place for cancer to hibernate during remission. Cancer displaces bone marrow, making things worse. Bone marrow is an essential part of our immune system as it makes platelets and red and white blood cells… critical ingredients in fighting disease and infection. It also helps heal the gut lining and regulate insulin. Chemo and radiation destroy bone marrow so restoring bone marrow is critical to healing.

At least that’s how I saw it. It became clear to me that if I were to survive the chemo, radiation, and cancer as well as strengthen my bones so they would stop breaking, I needed to generate some bone marrow. Tumors split my sacro-iliac joint and crumbled 5+ vertebrae. I would likely not walk again. Wanting to protect me from further disabling injuries, my doctors forbade me from exercising. But researching how to increase bone marrow naturopathically yielded three ways… exercise, bone broth and Cannabis. All were essential in my recovery. While I advocate a plant-based diet, it is hard to build bone marrow without the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, collagen, and gelatin bone broth provides (see Recipes under Nutrition in Part Two). I secretly joined a fitness club and exercised. Cannabis enhances the collagenous matrix, mineralizing bone tissue and strengthening bones. I’m not only alive and walking, I hike and ski! I’m four inches shorter from the broken vertebrae but people seem to like me better shorter so I guess that’s ok… hahahaa.

Treatment for bone mets may include bisphosphonate drugs such as Xgeva and Zometa. They prevent loss to bone density, reducing pain, risk of fracture, and high calcium levels. They may also inhibit cancer.1,2 But having a fairly long half-life, they accumulate and increase risk of osteonecrosis and kidney failure.

I attended a medical conference where I heard a presentation by the scientist who conducted the research leading to the use of bisphosphonates for bone metastases. I spoke to him afterwards about my situation. Because I had had 20 infusions of Zometa, he agreed I was likely “saturated for life.” When I expressed that I would like to stop getting infusions. He said that Xgeva, which is given subcutaneously, is less damaging to the kidneys than Zometa. He also said I could get an NTx test which measures bone resorption and can reflect the burden of disease in bones. If the value was low, I likely did not have active cancer in my bones and could feel safer about stopping treatment than if it was high. I didn’t have it but did choose to discontinue. I’ll reevaluate if it returns.

Cannabinoids have been found to have positive effects on bone metabolism and regeneration.

- www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03602532.2019.1574303

- The Diagnostic Imaging of Bone Metastases, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4239579

- The Science and Practice of Bone Health in Oncology, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047391

Brain metastases

One year after Stage IV diagnosis, I was walking, felt great, and felt I was going to live a long time, in spite of doctors’ prognoses. Then they discovered 9 brain tumors. Worse, it was leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, meaning the protective tissues surrounding the brain (blood-brain barrier) were involved. It is a fatal diagnosis, median survival is 2.8 months from diagnosis, and only rare reports of survival up to 20 months. I had just lost a mets sister 3 weeks after her diagnosis. They said that’s about how long I’d have. Going on more than 6 years since diagnosis, I may have the world survival record and I’m NEAD!

3 weeks after I instituted a naturopathic protocol, 4 of the 9 brain tumors/mets were gone without a trace, including the largest. Doctors could not explain their disappearance but I was now eligible for targeted radiation for the final 5. I have been NEAD since May 2014… a miracle of sorts… attributable to both naturopathic and western medicine. Truthfully, if you have brain mets, I don’t know what you should do. I share my path with hope it is helpful to you.

CCT options:

The brain is protected by a membrane of tissue (meninges) that controls what can enter. This membrane, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) keeps large molecules out, protecting us from pathogens but also making it difficult for drug administration. Most chemotherapies can’t cross the BBB. I am HER2+ and the immunotherapies, Herceptin and Perjeta, appeared to be working well in my body but they also do not cross. Tykerb (Lapatinib) and Xeloda (Capecitabine) are forms of chemo that do cross but have limited effect. The most we could hope for was buying some time. I tried Tykerb and it was by far the most toxic thing I have ever taken. First it shut down my liver, then my pancreas, then I had heart pains. Yes, I kept stopping and starting because I was desperate, but I stopped after taking just a few doses. They did a lumbar puncture to see if I had cancer cells in my cerebro-spinal fluid and my oncologist thought, “well, while we have the access, let’s put a dose of Methotrexate in there.” Again, it wasn’t known to have much effect but perhaps buy some time. It gave me a painful shingles-like rash reaction with pus-filled sores all over my hands, feet, and torso. They offered whole brain radiation (WBR). I knew many people had had it and said it wasn’t so bad but I had also read horror stories of 50% cognitive deficit and 50% permanent hair loss… in patches! I viewed it as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest material and declined. Because I had 9 tumors of varying sizes and varying locations, targeted radiation was not an option for me.

- www.cancernetwork.com/oncology-journal/current-and-emerging-treatments-brain-metastases

Naturopathic options:

I do not judge another’s path… we all make decisions based on what we feel is appropriate for us. I was underwhelmed by the options western medicine presented. And, damn it, I wasn’t done fighting yet! I believe the 3 naturopathic options I employed were the primary reason the 4 tumors disappeared. I don’t know if it was one method, all three, or a combination. These naturopathic methods are covered in more depth in Part Two: Protocol Principles.

• Cannabis and Cancer

I had been taking CBD oil (negligible THC) since I don’t like to be high. I read it crosses the blood-brain-barrier and kills cancer so I drastically increased my dosage. I was previously taking 4 drops per day and I started taking 4-5 swallows. I now take an oil with higher THC in it right before bed and the high doesn’t bother me. I have wild dreams but sleep like a rock and wake up rested. Read more about Cannabis and its demonstrated success in fighting many kinds of cancer, including other primary cancers in Principle 5:Killing Cancer.

• Root canal removal

I had heard of a relationship between root canals, dental health, and chronic diseases such as cancer. The universe works in mysterious ways and an article stating that 97% of terminal cancer patients have root canals just happened to pop up in my surfing. I had reason to believe I had an asymptomatic chronic infection in my mouth and the largest tumor was by itself and within inches of the tooth that had a root canal. Intrigued, I discussed the possibility with my naturopathic dentist that I could have an infection that was compromising my immune system and playing a role in my cancer. He wholeheartedly agreed that it was a possibility and agreed to remove the tooth in question immediately. Sure enough, there was a raging infection in there even though I hadn’t had any symptoms. That nearby large tumor is one of the ones that disappeared without a trace immediately after removing the tooth/root canal/infection. More later.

• Meditation and healing

Once again, the universe showed me that there are no coincidences. Two books and an article I happened to be reading convinced me that I could harness the power of my mind to heal. It was clear to me that others had done it and that there was a scientific basis to it. I spent several hours a day in directed meditation to heal my brain metastases. (More in Part Two: Principle Six)

Back to CCT:

So 6 weeks after diagnosis, 3 weeks after employing...

Erscheint lt. Verlag	1.11.2019
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Medizin / Pharmazie ► Naturheilkunde
ISBN-10	1-5439-9096-7 / 1543990967
ISBN-13	978-1-5439-9096-6 / 9781543990966

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