My Current Health Protocol

October 8, 2016
Hi Everyone, I thought I’d send an update out since it’s been a few months and many of you have inquired about my health and well-being. I haven’t ignored anyone but life has been pretty busy with homeschooling and all sorts of activities we’ve plugged into here in Colorado. Overall, I am feeling great and my cancer markers are low (12) which has indicated to the physicians that everything is going well. Above a 40 means the cancer is likely active.
I did have one issue which we seem to have resolved in the last two weeks. When I started taking Herceptin and Perjeta, the gene-targeted therapies for HER2+ breast cancer, I didn’t realize they can cause a problem called Leaky Gut. While taking these meds I discovered that my abdomen would blow up and swell by the end of the day, whether I ate dinner or not. I literally looked about six or seven months pregnant and we couldn’t figure it out. All my scans looked good and the only issue I had with my blood work was low iron and decreased hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. They gave me three iron infusions over the course of three months and they’ve monitored the progress to see if the iron infusions helped but what my doctors never looked at was the source of my low iron. This went on for weeks. One day I’d weigh 117 pounds in the am and by the end of the day I’d swell up to 129 without eating but a small breakfast. I was actually fasting after lunch all day until the next morning and the bloating would continue.
I saw three doctors about this problem and nobody could figure it out. I finally went to an herbalist and she took a blood sample and low and behold we discovered that my blood was profoundly full of yeast/candida and I had a ton of tapeworms. It was disgusting! The tapeworms’ parasitic activity explains the low iron I’ve been having these last several months and the bloating was from yeast that have been feeding on the fermented foods I’ve been eating. I have held off on consuming any sugar; however, yeast/candida thrive on fermented foods and other fungi such as sauerkraut, cabbage, kombucha tea, and mushrooms which are normally excellent food choices for cancer patients. I did some research and discovered that many patients taking medications like Perjeta develop yeast side effects. What baffled me was the blood specimen with both yeast and parasites. I couldn’t think of anything I may have eaten that was contaminated, yet what I discovered is that when you take certain medications they can cause your intestines to become semi-permeable and this allows food, parasites, yeast, etc…. that are all in the intestines , to leak out into the blood stream. I’ve heard the term “leaky gut” a lot but didn’t pay much attention to it because I never imagined it could pertain to me. The herbalist gave me about six remedies and she went over all my supplements to make sure that I wasn’t taking anything that might be exacerbating the problem. She also had some literature that discussed all the fillers you see in supplements and vitamin products that I found very interesting because they reduced my T cells, collapsed my cell membrane integrity, and malabsorption. She gave me strict orders to avoid any supplement with the following fillers: magnesium stearate, stearic acid, maltodextrin, polyethylene glycol(Miralax), calcium carbonate, and titanium dioxide (a metal used as a vitamin pigment). Within two days my stomach flattened back out and I am feeling much better. It is supposed to take two months to completely go away. My oncologist decided to hold off the perjeta and Perception for three weeks to see what would happen. Remember these are the drugs I need for the rest of my life according to the oncology experts.

Well, after three weeks, the cancer markers were exactly the same. This finding appears to coincide with the Greek test I had done in Mexico. The test results indicated that my circulating tumor cells are not Her2 + and therefore, Herceptin and Perjeta had little effect on my cancer. Time will tell but for now we’ve spaced my treatments out over four weeks instead of three. I also take an aromatase inhibitor to shut my peripheral estrogen down and I take Zoladex subcutaneously to halt the ovarian estrogen production. Other than that, I continue to take high dose vitamin C intravenously several times a month. I take 100,000 mg or 1 gram Iv over three hours. It’s an extremely high dose but I appears to be showing promising results.
On a personal note, It has been intensely difficult at times seeing who in the last few months has been diagnosed with cancer. I’ve recently lost a friend I made in Mexico. She lost her mother in April to metastatic breast cancer, and her type of cancer was severely difficult to treat. She did take the chemo as directed, yet it continued growing at an alarming rate. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who gets this disease and succumbs to it, and who walks away with few scars. Since I’ve been home, I’ve discovered and met many people who are seeing help, suggestions, advice, and recommendations on what to do and what paths to follow. I make sure I let them know that I don’t know how long God has me here on this earth, but I can share what I’ve learned along the way. I pray it helps them as it seems to be working for me, at least for now. I say it this way because I know cancer is crafty and often find ways to circumvent the current modality of care. I just have to stay on my toes and keep a tight regimen, which is what I’m currently doing.
Additionally, I’ve learned that I really need several doctors’ opinions, tests, and expertise, because it’s not smart to put all your eggs in one basket. I’ve learned that there are some providers out there who look at me like I supposed to fit the cookie cutter mold and they don’t know what to do with me when my body doesn’t operate according to standard procedure. I appreciate it when I see someone who really looks at me, examines my body, checks everything including moles and freckles, even if it’s not her or his specialty, and makes independent personal recommendations based on his or her findings. The herbalist wasn’t a doctor, but she was spot on with her diagnosis because she had the blood sample to prove it to me and she had 25 years of working with patients. When she saw my abdomen, before we even did the test , she knew what I had, and she was right. After two days I finally had relief and within a short time I began feeling better. She was surprised that the other doctors missed it. Yet, each doctor has his or her speciality and since no physical can know everything about you, it’s wise to seek help in several places even though there is nothing convenient about it. I know God has led me to various people for a reason. I’ve learned that I have every right to speak with other providers, pick their brains and get other medical advice if I don’t agree with I’m hearing . This sounds simple but it’s a lot of work. Sometimes having cancer and dealing with everything I have to go through on a weekly basis is like having another part time or full time job. The point is that I wasn’t about to give up. I hope to encourage you all to do the same when you aren’t getting answers to real problems you have or are experiencing.

Several of you have asked me to list what I have to have each day or week and these are the nuggets/staples I must continue with that i believe are helping: 1. Lugols iodine-the national daily allowance is only in micrograms , yet I take over 200 milligrams every day. I take it in liquid form, in a pill called Iodoral, and I apply it topically after my shower at night. Yes, that is well over 1000 times the dose but from what I have studied and learned from other thyroid and breast cancer survivors who have been alive for 10 + years, it is critical that I take it. There is an excellent book by Dr. David Brownstein and it’s called Iodine: Why You Need it , Why You Can’t Live Without it. Jamie and I read the book and after reading what success this doctor has with patients who are survivors, we are convinced it’s a necessity. Keep in mind that I was never diagnosed with any prior thyroid condition before. I had fibrocystic breasts and was told not to worry, but according to Dr. Brownstein, when he has treated patients with fibrocystic cysts with Lugol’s iodine, the cysts go away. By the way, benign cysts can turn cancerous. I just spoke with a woman who had three benign cysts and they turned cancerous three years later. She is now in end stage metastatic breast cancer. Iodine is known to induce apoptosis, also called programmed cell death. It will kill the cancer cells as well. Dr. Brownstein has mentioned that 96% of all patients he sees are deficient in iodine and the blood tests the doctor’s office use are inaccurate. The only way to thoroughly check your iodine is to conduct a 24 hour urine test to see if your cells and output are over or under where they should be.
2. Frankincense and other essential oils-I use this liberally every day and I take in capsule form orally. I also topically apply it to my spine and underarm. I use tea tree or oregano in capsule form and swallow them every day. They are known to kill fungi, bacteria and viruses.
3. Digestive and pancreatic/proteolytic enzymes. I use Green Supreme and Woebenzym N, which is the Cadillac version of enzymes made by a German company. Most people might take two or three per day. I take up to twenty- thirty total per day. These are known to degrade the outer membrane of the cancer cell.
4. Vitamin D. I went from a level of 27 to 92 . This is huge because most people today are low in vitamin D. I switched brands and was re-tested and it finally went up. Living in Colorado has certainly helped but I also take 50,000 every week along with 10,000 every day. Cancer patients optimally need to be in the 60s or higher for functional medicine.
5. Flaxseed/cottage cheese protocol by Dr. Johanna Ludwig. This combo that is used with an immersion blender has been shown to repair damaged mitochondria. You can look at up the research on this. I used this in Mexico based on my metabolic typing test results. All cancer cells have damaged mitochondria and this combination has been shown to work on repairing them. I take this mixture every day.
6. I use Infrared sauna therapy every day for thirty minutes. Infrared penetrates the skin and has amazing benefits in helping release toxins and killing cancer cells. When I had my lab done with the herbalist, she commented on the fact that my red blood cells were clean and toxin free. This was not the norm. I told her I use an infrared sauna and she told me that was typical.
7. I use Carnivora supplements- very expensive but made with the juice from the Venus fly trap plant. Has never harmed healthy cells but breaks down the cancer cell membrane and destroys the cancer cells. I take about three a day now. i was on eight per day back in May and June.
8. High dose IV vitamin C
I use other supplements as well to include sea cucumber, Resveratrol, phosphatydl choline, salvestrols, Quercetin, B vitamins, Bone broth, multivitamins and minerals, magnesium spray, melatonin, milk thistle, magnesium tablets, spiralina and chlorella tablets, alpha lipoid acid, amino detox for liver pathway.
9. weight lifting three times per week to help rebuild the bone

I hope all this helps. God has been guiding me through this process and I read a few verses that have significantly helped me in the last several weeks as I wonder where all this is going. I have to chose to see the everyday moments around me that are worth holding on to- to see that God is good no matter what my circumstances. I’m reminded not to quit but to keep on seeking and asking. I may still have cancer, but my perspective has changed, and I don’t want to be weighted down by worry.
Ephesians 1;17-20 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his hold people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.
May God Bless you and I thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, letters and support,
Allison