Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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Minimizing Side Affects in Myeloma
While killing monoclonal proteins (myeloma) is the goal, minimizing side effects in myeloma treatment is a close second. For those MM patients who side effects are serious enough, conventional treatment must be discontinued preventing treatment.
And for those MM patients who are RR aka relapsed/refractory, side effects are often more serious coming after several relapses and remissions tiring the MM survivors immune system.
Remember that the most common side effects listed below are health problems caused by chemotherapy and radiation not by the MM itself.
What are the most common side effects for myeloma patients undergoing conventional therapies?
1. Fatigue
- Description: Persistent tiredness and lack of energy.
- Cause: Can be caused by the myeloma itself or as a result of the treatment.
2. Bone Pain and Fractures
- Description: Pain in bones, especially the back, ribs, and hips.
- Cause: Myeloma affects bone health, and therapies may exacerbate these symptoms.
3. Nausea and Vomiting
- Description: Feeling sick or vomiting.
- Cause: Commonly caused by chemotherapy drugs.
4. Infections
- Description: Increased susceptibility to infections.
- Cause: Myeloma and its treatments can weaken the immune system.
5. Anemia
- Description: Low red blood cell count leading to fatigue and weakness.
- Cause: Myeloma and treatments like chemotherapy can reduce red blood cell production.
6. Peripheral Neuropathy
- Description: Numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet.
- Cause: Often caused by drugs like bortezomib (Velcade) and thalidomide.
7. Gastrointestinal Issues
- Description: Diarrhea or constipation.
- Cause: Certain medications can disrupt the normal functioning of the digestive system.
8. Thrombocytopenia
- Description: Low platelet count, leading to easy bruising or bleeding.
- Cause: Chemotherapy and other drugs can reduce platelet production.
9. Renal Impairment
- Description: Reduced kidney function.
- Cause: Myeloma and certain drugs can damage the kidneys, leading to elevated creatinine levels.
10. Cognitive Changes
- Description: “Chemo brain,” including memory lapses and difficulty concentrating.
- Cause: Often associated with chemotherapy and high-dose steroids.
11. Hair Loss
- Description: Thinning or complete loss of hair.
- Cause: Commonly associated with chemotherapy.
12. Mood Changes
- Description: Anxiety, depression, or mood swings.
- Cause: The emotional and psychological impact of dealing with myeloma, coupled with the effects of treatment.
13. Blood Clots
- Description: Increased risk of developing blood clots.
- Cause: Certain treatments, especially thalidomide and lenalidomide, increase clotting risks.
The article linked below refers to “supportive therapy” for RR/MM patients minimizing side effects in myeloma only in conventional terms. Meaning, the article considers only
- bone modifying agents (zometa, aredia, etc.)
- vaccines
- and antibiotics
Consider supportive agents to be those therapies that support your immune system such as
I don’t want to imply that the three evidence-based non-conventional therapies above are the only therapies to improve immune health of RR/MM patients. But since I practice each therapy daily I have to believe that these therapies have helped me maintain complete remission from my MM since early 1999.
If you have any questions about non-conventional therapies shown to enhance immune function email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com
thank you,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Management of Adverse Events and Supportive Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
“Summary- Multiple myeloma (MM) patients with relapsing and/or refractory (RR) disease are exposed for a prolonged time to multiple drugs, which increase the risk of toxicity.
In addition to tumor response, preserving the quality of life represents an important goal for this patient population. Therefore, supportive therapy plays a pivotal role in their treatment by limiting disease- and drug-related complications. The aim of this review is to outline current standards and future strategies to prevent and treat renal insufficiency, anemia, bone disease, and infection, including COVID-19, in RRMM patients. In addition, the incidence and treatment of side effects of novel anti-MM agents will be discussed…
Discussion- By preventing disease and treatment-related complications, supportive care significantly contributes to improved outcomes in MM. However, physicians still face several challenges in delivering optimal therapy. For example, organizational hurdles and patients´ preference may jeopardize guidelines´ adherence.
A recent analysis of the “Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare“ database (https://seer.cancer.gov/, accessed on 4 October 2021) showed that:
- only 64% of older adults with active MM received bone-modifying agents,
- 52% an influenza vaccination,
- and less than 50% antiviral prophylaxis during treatment with PI [144].
Similarly, a French study reported very low rates of vaccination for influenza (28%) in MM patients, with less than 1% of the patients receiving all three recommended vaccines (influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Hemophilus influenzae) [145].
The frequent risk factors for the underutilization of recommended care are older age, higher comorbidity burden, and care in the community setting. Specific interventions targeting these subgroups of patients, such as the integration of primary care providers and clinical decision support systems, are required to implement quality of care in MM…
Conclusions-In conclusion, optimal care of the disease and treatment-related complications has a pivotal role in MM, not only to improve health-related quality of life but also to prolong patients´ survival. An awareness of drug toxicity allows for early diagnosis and intervention, thus supporting longer treatment exposure and better response rates in hopes of minimizing side effects in myeloma treatment.”