Searching for Alternative Healing

[Mackie]

Hi Everyone! I am new to this site so I will start by sharing my story :)

I am 26 yrs old. I was diagnosed with Stage II papillary cancer in 2002 at the age of 17.The doctor said I would technically be Stage III if it weren't for my age. The cancer was in my thryoid as well as some lymphnodes in my upper neck. I had a full thyroidectomy followed by RAI therapy. My doctor is amazing and has taken every precaution possible to make sure I am cancer free.

That being said...

When I was first diagnosed I was told the cancer is very treatable and because I was young and healthy, all I would have to do is take a "little pill everyday for the rest of my life." I was so young at the time, I just wanted the cancer gone and to be a normal teenager again. Since then I have found that having Thyroid Cancer affects everyday of my life. I have never had a "normal" TSH level and my synthroid dosage is changed EVERYTIME I am tested.

Recently, I went in for a checkup and more lumps were found in my neck. I had a sonogram a few weeks ago and the doctor is concerned about a particular lump in the upmost part of my neck (under my jaw). He has taken me off my synthroid for a few weeks and as soon as my levels are high enough, I will have another scan.

God forbid, if the scan comes back and says I have cancer again, I do not know what I am going to do. The RAI treatment destroyed my teeth and saliva glands. I never had so much as a cavity until after my treatment, and now my dentist says I have "the enamel of an 80 yr old". Also, at the time of my treatment my doctor said he was giving me a high dosage to assure all the cells would be destroyed. This would be the one and only dosage my body could handle without destroying too many white blood cells.

I am searching for natural ways to make sure my body performing at its best and know that food and nutrition play a HUGE role in the fight of cancer. I also have heard of doctors in Mexico and South America that are treating cancer with natural remedies: Vitamin C through an IV, Frankincense oil through an IV?

I do not want chemicals and radiation! I need suggestions, resources, advice! Please Help!

[Octavia]

Mackie, it is hard to think about what chemicals and radiation do to your body. And you are young.

I will be the first to admit that I don't know a lot about alternative medicine or natural remedies. But the thought of searching for and using them to treat cancer scares me. After my cancer diagnosis and surgeries, I told both my surgeon and my oncologist (separately) that I was looking at this as "cancer with a little c" but neither of them would entertain that thought. They take it seriously, and want their patients to do the same. My surgeon (ENT) said "cancer is cancer because it is aggressive" and we need to treat it that way.

If your cancer is back, then it is indeed aggressive. And with so much of your life ahead of you, it seems very risky to me to rely on natural and unproven treatments for this cancer that apparently wants to win the fight (if it is back). You can't let it win. I would be more "trusting" of what medical science has proven to kill rogue thyroid cells. I know the RAI has other potential side effects (which you are well aware of), but the alternative is to use some other unproven or less-proven method, which could also be dangerous, but in other ways (ways we may not even know yet). (Frankincense oil in my veins sounds poisonous...but I don't know much about it.)

That stinks that your salivary glands and teeth were so damaged the first time around with the RAI. Were your teeth hurt because after your salivary glands were damaged, they were no longer able to keep your enamel moist? I'm really curious about that.

Hang in there, Mackie...