My first instinct was to reject any standard of care Chemo, radiation and surgery, as it was not addressing the root cause. I came to know about Care Oncology, through Jane's book (How to Starve cancer). I did read Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Nasha Winters; along with 20 other books. However, the number of modalities mentioned were too many - like Hyperbaric Oxygen, Ozone therapy, high dose Melatonin, Vitamin C IV, Mistletoe.
I really wanted to try these treatments, but I was not sure how effective they would be for my cancer, and it takes a lot of time, energy and money. After starting on COC protocol, I was lucky that I was able to connect with Nurse Kristin. I have talked to many Doctors and many nurses by now. In our first call, she was able to dispel our fears about Herceptin and Perjeta and convinced us that we should consider that.
She was respectful of our decision for not doing Chemo. She understood that blatantly pushing chemo to us probably would backfire. She nudged us just enough to get us on trying H/P.
Apart from the science and patients' examples from her practice she shared, she genuinely cares - that came in our discussions.
During our multiple calls with Nurse Kristin, she was knowledgeable about most holistic treatments (Vitamin C IV, mistletoe, ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen). What we like about her, that she is not as guarded as some physicians we talked to both at Care Oncology and outside. She does not oversell anything, but would give her opinion from her experience on all these treatments, with proper scientific explanation. Like - why mistletoe may not be effective in some breast cancer cases, or Cannabis in high dosage might be worth considering. She knows that these discussions could lead to life and death.
If certain modalities are not in her experience, like Ivermectin, though there are few papers published, she would stay neutral and would not encourage or discourage. She has studied and worked with many breast cancer patients, specifically, breast cancer HER2 positive. I feel that any patient should have a conversation with her, specifically HER2 positive, if not all.
The battle for us is not over. We understand that we are accountable for decisions, but we need honest opinions from doctors and nurses. Nurse Kristin is unique here, she has experience with natural therapies, supplements (DHA/EPA, Vitamin D) and knows what would work, along with scientific explanation backed by her experience in the field with real patients, and that she is not afraid to share those learning with her patients. She is not guarded here, or fearful that it is just a job and she has to protect herself first. You truly are a gifted and genuinely caring person.
