A lot has happened since our last Blog update, so I've made a list and will be posting several entries in the next few days... I'll start from where we last left off.
On Friday, 6/17/11, Chelsa and I met with Dr. Matt Angove - a Naturopathic doctor who I have seen before and who works with Dr. John Catanzaro, a doctor who writes for the Resurgence blog and who our Pastor, Mark Driscoll, has sung praises of in addressing his own health. Dr. Catanzaro specializes in Integrative Oncology and the treatment of Cancer.
Dr. Angove had much to share with us regarding natural ways to stimulate Chelsa's immune system to fight the cancerous Multiple Myeloma in her bone marrow. Specifically, he recommended that she start right away on a number of supplements (CoQ10, Resveratrol, Milk Thistle/Silymarin, Wobenzym, Acidophilus, Fish Oil, & a Multi-Vitamin). These supplements, in addition to several recommendations about what to eat and what to avoid, are meant to help her body move more towards functioning optimally... thus being in better shape to fight the cancer. Chel's been cutting out/way down on sugar -- which has been really hard, but going well. So in addition to avoiding milk (Chelsa is a "Lact-tard" and gets sick from milk), we have now become pretty "high-maintenance" when it comes to meals. (I'm supposed to be cutting out Gluten too).
The supplements are the first step, the second gets a bit more intense and a lot more expensive... we still have much to learn about it, but they are recommending Immune System Therapy. The rational of it is that people develop cancer because of "immune tolerance" -- the immune system is tollerating the cancerous cells / tumors, allowing them to grow rather than getting rid of the tumor/cells as most people's immune system would. Immunotherapy helps the body's immune system to recognize, attack, and destroy any cancerous cells or tumors, without the need for chemotherapy or radiation, or just minimal doses, thus avoiding the destructive side effects. We're still learning about what this would mean, but it looks like it would involve Vitamin C Infusions, Cytokine Booster Injuctions, IV Immunotherapy and Alkalinization, and Dendritic Stem Cell Vaccine Therapy. This all gets very expensive and is not covered by insurance (thanks money-hungry pharmaceutical companies), but the more I learn about it, it seems to make the most sense. I'd be happy to share more specifics about this treatment option later for those interested or willing to help us navigate this.
Dr. Angove closed our appointment by praying for Chelsa. As I mentioned, both Dr. Angove and Dr. Catanzaro are Christians. Why does this make such a big difference to us when we're talking about Doctors and Medical Science? To put it simply -- we believe that Jesus is our Great Physician. We believe that while he may work through others, believers or not, HE alone has the power to heal Chelsa. (See Mark 5:25-29). We also trust that these doctors are acting as servants, with our best interests in mind, knowing that they are working for the God of the Universe and not gods of power, science, knowledge or money.
Website for the Health & Wellness Center (with interviews with Dr. Angove and Dr. Catanzaro): http://www.hwicancerresearch.org/
4 comments:
Overwhelmingly thankful that the Great Physician has led you down this path for your healing journey. Brian and I are looking forward to all the updates, and will continue praying for you and your doctors.
I just found your blog when I did a search for Dr. Angove...I had my first appointment with him yesterday, and when he prayed for me at the end, I cried. I'm encouraged by your faith in Jesus and His healing hand...I will hold you up in prayer. Maybe I'll see you at MHB someday! God bless you both.
Hey Matt and Chelsa:
Thinking about you two today ...
Thanks for sharing this information its really nice.
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