Blog posts featuring advice from expert cancer specialists, survivor stories

Many Paths to Wellness – 2023 CAM for Cancer Conference

January 31, 2023 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

The Annie Appleseed Project was founded in 2000 by Ann Fonfa, a 25 year breast cancer survivor and warrior, whose journey was chronicled in Hope Never Dies.

The goal was to bring complementary and alternative therapies to the mainstream, while also serving as a place where all ideas are scrutinized.

From its inception, the Annie Appleseed Project sought to …

Challenge the existing treatment paradigm
Question the existing research methods and subjects
Propose new directions for both, ending with true Integrative Oncology

The first Annie Appleseed Conference took place in 2005.

2023 Conference: CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) for Cancer

The theme of this year’s conference is Many Paths to Wellness. A robust agenda includes presentations from medical doctors, PhDs, researchers, experts, Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) and practitioners, as well as survivors, including Ann Fonfa herself.

Many Paths to Wellness

Within this year’s packed agenda are the following renowned speakers and their topics:

Keith Block, MD: Known to many as the patriarch of Integrative Cancer Medicine, Dr. Block will discuss Cancer Recovery: Importance of Overcoming a Disrupted Terrain
Kelly Turner, PhD: Kelly will share a documentary screening of Personalizing Herbal Supplements
Charles Bens, PhD: A topic sure to resonate with all attendees, Dr. Bens will discuss Optimizing Cancer Prevention and Recovery
Isaac Eliaz, MD, MS will examine The Survival Paradox: Targeting the Root Cause of Cancer and Chronic Diseases

Conference Details, Registration & Logistics

15th Annual Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Cancer Therapies Conference

Feb 23-25, 2023 in West Palm Beach, FL

The conference begins on Thursday, February 23 at 2PM (arrive a bit early to pick up badge and giveaway bag). The conference ends Saturday, February 25 at 5PM.

Full Conference – Up to 13 hours CEU’s (Continuing Education Credits) or CNE’s
One day (Thursday, Friday or Saturday) or two day registrations are also available

Conference link

Registration

Testimonials from past conferences

Background and history – Annie Appleseed Project

The Annie Appleseed Project hosts a yearly CAM Conference for Cancer: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies. It is an opportunity for practitioners and laypeople to learn more about options in the treatment of cancer. Each year, speakers report on developments and changes in the world of cancer.

The Annie Appleseed Project offers information, survival strategies and support for individuals dealing with cancer, including …

Nutrition
Mind/Body
Detoxification
Dietary supplements
Physical activity/exercise
Natural therapies/substances
Lifestyle issues

I look forward to seeing you at the CAM for Cancer conference!

Finding Your Best Anti-Cancer Nutrition Plan

April 8, 2021 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

Anti-Cancer Nutrition

Dr. Jeanne Wallace, Ph.D., C.N.C. is widely regarded as a prominent international expert in nutritional oncology. She is the founder and director of Nutritional Solutions, which provides cancer patients across the U.S. and abroad evidence-based dietary, nutritional and botanical support and cancer consulting services, to complement conventional care.

“Cancer cells do not exist in isolation; they are influenced by the environment within the body.”

– Dr. Jeanne Wallace, Ph.D, C.N.C.

Dr. Wallace is deeply involved in cutting-edge translational research, providing innovative cancer nutrition guidance to people with cancer, their families, oncologists, naturopaths and others. She, and her colleague, Michelle Gerencser, M.S., have served thousands of clients around the world, consulting by phone and Skype.

The deeply-focused efforts of Dr. Wallace and Michelle Gerencser are grounded in the evolving understanding of the interrelationship between nutritional and metabolic factors, and the hallmark characteristics of cancer cells.

Harness the Oncometabolic Advantage

Dr. Wallace states, “Cancer cells do not exist in isolation; they are influenced by the environment within the body. Our goal is to teach our clients dietary and lifestyle strategies to modulate this environment, so that it is a less favorable host for tumor growth and progression. This approach is particularly well suited as a complement to conventional medical treatments for cancer, and allows our clients to optimize their care by integrating the best of both worlds.”

I am pleased to share a five-minute video that explains Dr. Wallace’s approach to finding the best anti-cancer diet and nutrition plan for you. Take the time to review this very informative presentation.

Read my in-depth interview with Jeanne Wallace in my book, Hope Never Dies.

Fasting to Mitigate Chemo Side-Effects

March 18, 2021 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

The intention of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells and shrink malignant tumors. It can extend survival in patients diagnosed with various malignancies. However, well-known and unfortunate consequences of chemotherapy are the harsh, potential side-effects (including cardio-toxicity, neurotoxicity, mucosititis, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, cramps and hair loss) that engender harmful problems to the human body. These side-effects can be temporary or cause permanent challenges, and limit dose intensity and the consistent-scheduled implementation of treatment cycles. Some patients undergoing cancer treatment fear the toxic side-effects even more than the cancer.

So, the question is:
Are there any therapeutic approaches that can modulate these harmful effects, whereby
patients can complete their chemotherapy regimens without experiencing harsh injuries to the body?

Answer: YES!

Controlling chemo side-effects

Fortunately, there are several methods that can mitigate the harsh side-effects of chemo treatment. One approach, in particular, is free and doesn’t require a prescription or any kind of medical intervention. That approach is: STRATEGIC FASTING.

I’ve included herein, below, the citation for an insightful five-minute You Tube video, featuring Dr. Valter Longo, Ph.D. (the pre-eminent “fasting” researcher) explaining why cancer cells are more vulnerable to chemotherapy and why fasting makes normal cells more resistant to the effects of chemotherapy. He talks about how an integrative approach is the most powerful approach when fighting cancer, versus exclusively a conventional or alternative approach.

Dr. Dwight McKee , an internationally distinguished researcher and clinician, is trained in immunology and board-certified in oncology and hematology. He is renowned for his sophisticated knowledge regarding integrative care, nutritional science and botanical medicine. I had the privilege to interview Dr. McKee in Hope Never Dies, where he said:

“I advise patients to fast the day before, the same day and the day after chemotherapy. Water and tea are OK, but it is essentially a fast. The fast appears to cause normal cells to down regulate their metabolism and hibernate. Cancer cells can’t hibernate. This concept reduces toxicity and comes from Dr. Valter Longo’s work at the University of Southern California. I know that fasting works based upon my clinical practice.”

Abundant, convincing, and growing evidence demonstrates that short-term fasting is safe. It protects healthy cells from toxicity while enhancing the efficacy of a variety of chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of many different tumor types.

Some patients may not have the vitality or energy to engage in such fasting regimens. This potential factor should be assessed prior to implementing a fasting strategy.

Chemo side-effects substantially reduced

A noted case series report described 10 cases in which patients, ranging in age from 44 to 78 and diagnosed with a variety of malignancies, voluntarily fasted prior to and after treatment. Not one of these patients, who received an average of four cycles of chemotherapy drugs, reported significant side-effects from the chemotherapy. This study found that fasting was well-tolerated and associated with a reduction of multiple chemotherapy induced side-effects, compared with patients who did not fast and ate any foods they desired.

I have encouraged several cancer patients to implement a fasting strategy, prior to embarking on their chemotherapy protocol. To their delight, and to the surprise of their oncologists, they tolerated the chemotherapy much better than other patients who did not engage in a fasting strategy — according to their oncologists.

If you are contemplating implementing chemotherapy as part of a cancer fighting approach, I strongly suggest you consider incorporating fasting to help tolerate the potential harsh side-effects, allowing the chemotherapy to do its job without interruption, and without wreaking havoc on your body and organs.

If your doctor is skeptical about incorporating this adjunctive therapy, I encourage you to present them with the studies cited in this post, which recommend and support this toxicity-mitigating approach.

Read more about evidence-based cancer care

Curcumin: A Powerful Anti-Cancer Agent

February 25, 2021 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

Curcumin is a component of the spice turmeric, which can be found in many people’s spice cabinets. Commonly consumed in many Asian countries as a culinary ingredient, it gives curry and mustard their yellow color. Turmeric has also been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.

Curcumin is the biologically active agent in turmeric. Approximately 2% to 5% of turmeric is composed of Curcumin. Many studies and clinical evidence confirm that curcumin delivers myriad benefits to cancer patients. One of its primary proven benefits is its anti-inflammatory effect.

Inflammation fighter

An abundance of evidence from numerous studies (preclinical, animal and clinical) strongly suggest curcumin exerts potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities.

It is well-known that chronic inflammation is an underlying problem and driver of many diseases, including cancer. And, cancer further drives and spreads internal-chronic inflammation. The NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa beta) protein, a proinflammatory signaling pathway (aka – transcription factor), is essentially the “master-switch” for inflammation. It is one of the most important molecules linking chronic inflammation to cancer problems, including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, tumor promotion and metastasis.

Inhibiting and suppressing NF-kB signaling is a therapeutic objective when fighting cancer, and the natural agent curcumin has been shown to be effective in achieving this goal. An abundance of evidence from numerous studies (preclinical, animal and clinical) strongly suggest curcumin exerts potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition to its role in fighting cancer, curcumin plays a multifaceted role in cancer prevention. Due to its many anti-inflammatory benefits, it also delivers a cascade of other benefits for other inflammatory conditions, including arthritis.

Personally (and not for cancer reasons), I have found curcumin to be very effective, and I incorporate it into my daily supplementation regimen to alleviate sundry aches and pains, by mitigating that gnarly instigator: inflammation. For me, it works wonders!

Curcumin dosage and interactions

Dosage always matters, whether a patient is using pharmaceutical drugs or evidence-based supplements. Thus, an individual patient’s issues will dictate appropriate dosing. Curcumin has been used, up to 12 grams per day, for up to three months without any significant side-effects, although most cancer patients take a lesser amount of approximately 3.0 to 8.0 grams per day, for longer time periods.

Also, drug interactions need to be assessed with any supplement or pharmaceutical agent. It has been suggested that curcumin may have an anticoagulant effect, thus if a patient is already taking anticoagulant agents (such as blood thinners), caution would be advised.

Absorption

One challenge with curcumin is the notion that it is not bioavailable — in other words, it doesn’t absorb well into one’s system. Thus, it is advisable to take curcumin (if a capsule or tablet) with bioperine or piperine (derived from black pepper) which, purportedly, helps enhance absorption. Many curcumin supplements include this component in their ingredients.

Of course, effective cancer protocols require a sophisticated multifaceted approach. I strongly recommend you explore curcumin as a strong anti-inflammatory agent, to be included in the toolbox of comprehensive and effective interventions.

Finally, prior to embarking on any medical or healthcare protocol, intervention or regimen, always seek the counsel of a qualified doctor or healthcare professional.

Learn more about curcumin, and the power of other integrative therapies, in my book, Hope Never Dies.

Buy the Book

Which Chemotherapy Drugs Are Best?

February 4, 2021 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

You’ve been diagnosed with cancer. It can be a daunting challenge, but you’re poised to fight for your life. If you are embarking on a cancer-fighting protocol which includes chemotherapy, your objective is to use drugs that are effective in killing cancer cells, thus eradicating the cancer – or stopping or slowing its progress.

But the decision process regarding which chemo drugs are best, is a complex one. There are more than 100 chemotherapy drugs and drug combinations that are used in the oncology world. How do you know the best course, specifically, for you?

NCCN recommendations – digging in

Conventional cancer decisions are based on recommendations specified by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). The NCCN is an alliance of 30 leading cancer centers, nationwide. Their guidelines about the best therapeutic approaches for cancer patient care, including chemotherapy, are universally accepted by mainstream medicine. These guidelines are based on historical and current practices, from evidence-based studies and relevant clinical information. Fundamentally, they are based on mass statistics not YOU, an individual.

NCCN recommendations are not informed by the highly specific, nuanced, cancer micro-
environment and idiosyncratic cancer issues pertinent to the actual individual who will undergo chemotherapy treatments. They are not chosen based on distinct factors, directly related to you. They are general, standard-of-care recommendations. They do not take into account the highly complex matrix of your personal: vascular and inflammatory processes, stromal environment, growth factors and other molecular activity that contribute to the cancer process.

Pioneering cancer research

Meet Dr. Robert Nagourney, an internationally recognized pioneer in cancer research and
personalized cancer treatment. He is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical
Oncology and Hematology. I interviewed Dr. Nagourney for Hope Never Dies, wherein he elucidates his perspectives about the current state of affairs in cancer research and treatments.

I share his ground-breaking wisdom, in his interview. Dr. Nagourney is the founder and medical director of Nagourney Cancer Institute and Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He performs a test called “functional profiling” in his laboratory that measures how cancer cells respond when exposed to a variety of chemotherapy drugs and drug combinations.

His technicians may test the patient’s actual cancer cells against a dozen different drugs and combinations. This technique reduces the guesswork about drug selection to identify the most effective, least toxic, options. Results take only seven days and offer you and your physician a personalized roadmap for the chemo drugs best suited for treating your specific cancer. The chemo drugs identified are used against your cancer cells.

The power of individualized treatment

Think about it, logically: When visiting a doctor for a sore throat, a patient may undergo a
throat culture to identify bacteria or a fungus that may be causing an infection. After a
laboratory analyzes the culture under a microscope, the doctor is provided with information to identify the specific problem, enabling him or her to prescribe the appropriate drugs. The doctor is evaluating the actual cells from a person’s throat, not making a general guess based on general findings of a group of patients with sore throats.

With specific patient-related data, the physician is able to prescribe the antibiotic or drug that is likely to be most effective for the patient.

It is widely known, and agreed, that chemotherapy treatments may engender harsh side-
effects. It is also known that these protocols are not always successful in causing a tumor
response (shrinking of the tumor). Instead, chemotherapy may only damage healthy cells and tissues, without any benefit to the patient. These are real risks of chemotherapy, which is frequently not a cure-all treatment, and not necessarily a beneficial treatment, depending upon the cancer type, stage, and response or sensitivity of the tumor to the drug(s).

Chemotherapy drugs: What’s best?

So, the question remains: What kind of chemotherapy drugs should you take?
Is there a better way to discern which drugs may be helpful, versus solely accepting the
conventional NCCN guidelines?

Unfortunately, for the most part, the conventional oncology approach does not implement Dr. Nagourney’s personalized, functional testing methodology, but typically implement a
generalized approach that is not individualized to the patient. There are many oncologists,
nationwide, who swear by Dr. Nagourney’s laboratory test and send their patient’s tissue
samples to his laboratory for analysis and drug recommendations … but unfortunately, major medical advancements and paradigm shifts occur at a glacial pace.

It should be noted, in a paper published in December 2015, investigators from Harvard
University endorsed functional profiling and even published an editorial in support
of functional profiling that uses a patient’s living tumor cells exposed to potential therapies to match each patient to the right drug.

Living proof of the power of functional testing

One of the patients I interviewed in Hope Never Dies (who happened to be a medical doctor and Ph.D.), was told in October of 1999 that she had two months to live. She had tried two different kinds of chemotherapy prescribed by oncologists at leading cancer centers, however, her ovarian cancer, which had metastasized, did not respond. In fact, she visited five leading cancer centers from coast to coast and was not given any hope. As she was wasting away, she conducted research online and was fortunate to find Dr. Nagourney.

Long story short: Upon testing her ascites (buildup of malignant fluid), Dr. Nagourney found a drug combination (not used for ovarian cancer, at the time) that melted the cancer cells away. As a result of identifying a successful combination of drugs from his laboratory test, and further treatment by Dr. Nagourney, the patient is enjoying life 21 years after her so-called “expiration date.”

If you or someone you care about is contemplating implementing chemotherapy as part of a cancer fighting regimen, please strongly consider working with Dr. Nagourney and his laboratory to ascertain the best chemotherapy drugs to kill and/or stop the progression of your cancer. Many people who were told to “get your affairs in order” — but who found Dr. Nagourney — are thriving, many years later.

Learn more about Dr. Nagourney’s Functional Profile Test

Broccoli Sprouts – Cancer Fighters

January 14, 2021 by Rick Shapiro Leave a Comment

When mom said, “Eat your broccoli” you should’ve listened. The good news is, it’s never too late to start. Why should you? Because there’s an abundance of evidence and studies (cellular, animal, clinical) that prove broccoli and broccoli sprouts are comprised of potent cancer-fighting properties.

Jed W. Fahey, ScD., MS, is a professor and researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center. He has an extensive background in plant physiology, human nutrition, phytochemistry and nutritional biochemistry. Since the 1990’s he has been involved in researching the potent anti-cancer effect of an activated phytonutrient known as sulforaphane, which is derived from cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli. Fahey strongly asserts that sulforaphane is a potent inducer of key cytoprotective enzymes that promote detoxification of carcinogens and other anti-cancer effects in humans.

There’s an abundance of evidence and studies that prove broccoli and broccoli sprouts are comprised of potent cancer-fighting properties.

A study published by the late Paul Talalay (MD and professor of pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University) found that 3-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20-50 times the amount of the chemo-protective compound glucorophanin, the precursor of sulforaphane, that is found in mature broccoli heads. His discoveries helped reveal that these anti-cancer compounds actually reduce cancer risk, in addition providing greater protective properties and cancer-fighting efficacy than mature broccoli.

Studies reveal sulforaphane antioxidant and anti-tumor properties

In a study of brain cancer cells (glioblastoma) cells, sulforaphane demonstrated apoptotic effects and cellular invasion inhibition, thus helping regulate cancer cell death and mitigating cancer cell migration and invasion into other tissues.
A recent mouse model study published in the peer-reviewed Cancer Prevention Research Journal also engendered preventative effects, inhibiting breast cancer development. The results suggest exposure to epigenetic modulating dietary agents, such as cruciferous vegetables with sulforaphane (including broccoli sprouts), could be a key factor for maximizing chemo-preventive effects. In other words, the study supports the use of drugs or natural agents to try to reduce the risk of, or delay the development or recurrence of, human breast cancer.
In the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, another study exhibited the impact of sulforaphane from broccoli on the interaction between immune and colon cancer cells, thus underscoring its capacity for cancer prevention and cancer development.

A plethora of other studies confirm that sulforaphane, which is heavily concentrated in broccoli sprouts, can play a significant role in helping prevent and fight cancer.

Remember what Momma said: “Eat your broccoli” … and today we know it’s advisable to eat your broccoli sprouts, several times per week.

Of course, effective cancer protocols require a sophisticated multifaceted approach. However, I strongly recommend you include broccoli sprouts as a strong preventative and anti-cancer agent, in your toolbox of comprehensive and effective interventions.

Finally, prior to embarking on any medical or healthcare protocol, intervention or regimen, I recommend you seek the counsel of a qualified doctor or healthcare professional.

Read more nutrition-related posts

Or, learn more in my book, Hope Never Dies.