Chemotherapy treatments for cancer was the absolute last thing I would have ever thought I would have to endure. Unfortunately, that is where I ended up. I didn’t know anything about chemo and cancer, but I knew I didn’t want to do it, and there was something about it that just wasn’t right. (Please research all options natural and medical before deciding what to do. Everyone’s case is different, and I am not a doctor). However, I didn’t have anyone on the natural treatment side to reach out to. There were acquaintances who said, “Don’t do chemo. There are natural ways.” I didn’t know who these people were or who to listen to. Moreover, I couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket, since medical insurance does not cover, for a naturopathic or holistic doctor. However, I know in some cases chemo is necessary, but in my mind, there was something not right about chemo. Needless to say, off to chemo I went.
Shortly after beginning my chemo, I met someone who shared some supplemental and essential oil info with me to help lessen my effects. I had never heard of essential oils, and I love them. They are so beneficial for your health! I use them all the time now, instead of some other remedies that have been recommended to me. I call them natures’ solutions. I started with four rounds of Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxoter (ACT). Then, I went through half of my six “treatments” of Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin (TCH). The effects that I consistently dealt with were nausea, constipation, headache, low fever, body aches (that kept me curled up in bed), and tiredness. The good thing was that my effects were like clock work, so I knew what to expect. Although, they were the same, the intensity was sometimes worse on different weeks.
As you know your chemo effects you heart and liver the most. So, when you detox, you are going to use detoxification methods that cleanse your liver.
Here is what I did to detox during my chemo:
- Lemon Essential Oil in my water or tea.
- Milk Thistle Seed in 4 oz of water.
- Liquid Turmeric in 4 oz of water.
- Castor Oil Pack
- Epson Salt, Baking Soda, and Essential Oil Bath
- Green Juice
- Wheatgrass Juice
During the week of my chemo, everyday I would do at least three of the above (#1-5) detoxes. Number 6 and 7 were daily things I did from the time I received my diagnosis until. In between treatments, I would continue to do at least two a day. My chemo was on Tuesday. I started my detox on Monday, 3-4 times a day. The first time I detoxed, I was amazed at how much better I felt. I was not in bed all day following my Neulasta shot. I had no fever, much less aches (a little in my ankles as opposed to all over), I wasn’t as tired, and no nausea. I still took it easy, but at least I didn’t feel like I had to lay still and not move to avoid being dizzy, or curled up in bed for a day.
My schedule went as follows: Morning – lemon oil, Mid-morning before lunch – milk thistle seed, afternoon before dinner – turmeric, before bedtime – castor oil pack. After doing this for five days, my hair started to grow back!
Now, depending on your chemo and what your doctor says, this detoxing will not override your chemo. The drugs are way too carcinogenic and strong to be rid of by this type of detoxing. However, you should always consult your doctor regarding anything extra you do at home.
Instructions:
Lemon Essential Oil or Zendocrine Oil
I am an advocate for doTERRA essential oils. doTERRA oils are certified pure therapeutic grade oils (CPTG). Meaning they use proper methods of growing, harvesting, and distilling to maintain purity. There are no artificial fillers or pesticides used. Many of their oils can also be ingested, compared to other companies. Do your research, and choose what you like best, but I am partial to doTERRA, and therefore, you can order your oils through me 🙂 Oils can be used aromatically, topically, and ingested.
Add 1 drop to 4 oz of water or tea and drink throughout your day as wanted. I use 2-3 drops in my green tea because I prefer to do extra.
Milk Thistle Seed
Follow directions on the bottle. Add 30-40 drops to 4 oz of water and drink in between meals 3-4 times a day. I used the Gaia low alcohol brand.
Turmeric
Follow directions on the bottle. Add a dropper full to 2 oz of water or juice and drink in between meals 2-5 times a day. I used the Herb Pharm brand.
Castor Oil Pack
First off, you do NOT drink the castor oil!
Purchase a bottle of castor oil, a 36″ x 18″ flannel cloth, and a heating pad or water bottle. You will also need a plastic bag (kitchen garbage bag worked best for me).
Rub castor oil over your liver area (located on your left side just beneath the portion of your ribs) on both the front and back side. Saturate your cloth and place over your liver allowing the cloth to wrap around your side to your back. Or you can place a cotton hand towel over the area with oil. Place the plastic bag over the cloth to avoid getting your clothes or heating element oily. Lastly, place the heating element of your choice over your liver and lay on your right side for 45 min. Do this 4 times a week for four consecutive days. Take a break, then repeat for 4-6 weeks following for best results. There are directions on your pack that tell you how often you can reuse your cloth. I would drizzle the oil on the cloth and spread it with my hands so that I would not have to use the whole bottle in one application. The next time I would detox, I would only have to use a little more to re-oil the cloth.
Epson Salt, Baking Soda, and Essential Oil Bath
Items needed: Aluminum Free baking soda – 2 cups, Epsom Salt – 2 cups, Rosemary and Juniper Essential Oil – 4 drops of each.
Put the baking soda and salt in a very warm bath and dissolve (about 5 min). Then add your oils and swish around. Climb in and soak. At the time, I only had lavender, lemon, and rosemary essential oils, so that’s what I used. All of them help to detoxify, but the rosemary and juniper the most. This works by reverse osmosis, pulling the salt and chemicals through your pores. The salt helps flush out toxins and heavy metals. Baking soda helps rid the body of drugs, radiation exposure, and chemicals from food. Your body will sweat out the toxins.
Green Juice and Wheatgrass Shots
When I was going through treatments, my husband learned how to grow wheatgrass to keep our cost of buying it down. You can learn more about what he did here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aboutwheatgrass/ Although there are many benefits from wheatgrass, here is what I could see that benefited me the most. It strengthened my immune system while going through surgery, healing, and going through treatments. It aided in detoxing as well. Moreover, for cancer patients, it has a high(est) content of chlorophyll, therefore, your cells are able to get more oxygen. One of the main findings with cancer patients is that doctors have realized their cells are oxygen depleted when diagnosed.
You have to purchase a specific juicer in order for the wheatgrass to be juiced properly. If you use a regular juicer, you will end up buying and going through much more grass than needed in order to get an adequate amount. We used an Omega Juicer. My husband gave me at least two (2 oz per day).
Although I no longer drink wheatgrass, I juice green vegetables often. This was most beneficial to get as many nutrients into my system as possible. That also helped with my healing and making sure I got enough nutrients during treatment to keep me going strong. You can juice any combination of cruciferous (dark) green vegetables that fits your taste, and you get a variable amount of vitamins and nutrients. However, the basics for detoxing are green apple, celery, and cucumber. Then you can add other veggies like kale, parsley, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, arugula, and spinach. Check my favorites menu for links to juicing and other great resources.
Happy Detoxing!!!
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