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PeopleBeatingCancer

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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Myeloma Chemo- More Is Not Better-

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Two concepts have become standard practice in the treatment of multiple myeloma- low-dose maintenance therapy and metronomic therapy.

Myeloma patients tell me over and over again. “My oncologist wants me to stay on induction MM chemotherapy until I reach complete remission (CR).” When it comes to multiple myeloma chemotherapy, more is not better, more chemotherapy can do irreparable harm.

If you click the links and read the info above,  you will see that the terms overlap each other. You will see that conventional MM oncology has determined that low, regular doses of anti-Multiple Myeloma therapy give the longest, deepest remissions for MMers.

Further, more multiple myeloma chemotherapy means more toxicity and a greater risk of short, long-term, late stage side effects and secondary cancers.

This makes me wonder if the timing of a person’s multiple myeloma chemotherapy is more important than the dose of the chemotherapy.

Less is More

The study linked and excerpted below establishes the same thing. Basically that pumping MMers full of cytotoxic chemotherapy does NOT give the MMer longer remissions (PFS) or longer life (OS).

What if I told you that I have remained in complete remission from my MM since 4/99 with the help of non-toxic, low-dose maintenance and metronomic therapies?

I am a long-term MMer and MM Cancer Coach. The MM CC program incorporates the evidence-based info and therapies below:

  1. Listing of the most successful MM specialists and hospitals
  2. Dozens of foods that starve MM (anti-MM) foods
  3. More than 15 integrative therapies that synergize with five common MM chemotherapy regimens,
  4. Over a dozen evidence-based mind-body therapies,
  5. Detoxification therapies,
  6. Both conventional and non-conventional bone health therapies
  7. Review and links to more than 20 online MM support groups
  8. Studies reviewing Cannabis/CBD as integrative MM therapy, pain therapy and stand-alone MM therapy-

Whether you are debating treatment options, currently undergoing treatment and experiencing painful side effects, or trying to figure out how to stay in remission, please watch the video below to learn more about the evidence-based, integrative therapies to combat treatment side effects and enhance your chemotherapy.

Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.

To Learn More about Sensitizing Myeloma- click now

Thanks,

David Emerson

  • MM Survivor
  • Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Recommended Reading:

More Treatment Does Not Necessarily Mean More Benefit in Multiple Myeloma 

“More treatment does not necessarily offer more benefit for patients—at least when it comes to multiple myeloma…

Although lenalidomide maintenance (low-dose Revlimid) after AHCT has improved PFS and OS, the role of additional interventions after AHCT, such as tandem AHCT or triple therapy consolidation, remains to be determined…

In the era of thalidomide analogs and proteasome inhibitors used in the initial therapy for myeloma and the use of prolonged maintenance therapy with lenalidomide (low-dose maintenance Rev.), posttransplant consolidation with cycles of RVD or a second transplant do not produce incremental PFS benefit,””

Approach to the treatment of multiple myeloma: a clash of philosophies

“The purpose of this Perspective is to highlight the most contentious issues in MM today and to put out alternative points of view. The issues we highlight are well grounded in the principles of evidence-based medicine and impact clinical trials and practice.–

Survival for an individual patient with MM varies according to age, stage, and performance status, as in any other malignancy. Appropriately, therapy is usually adjusted based on these factors. However, the majority of patients are being approached with a uniform philosophical approach: achieve and maintain complete response (CR)., This needs to change. The prognosis of MM varies considerably between cytogenetic categories and even within each cytogenetic entity.,…

More importantly, standard-risk patients who have expected median survivals in excess of 10 years,,when given full informed consent of the treatment options, may be reluctant to choose regimens that carry an early risk of irreversible toxicity. For such patients, even the route of administration and the number of monthly visits to a healthcare provider may be factors in choosing a regimen…

The CR myth: there is no free lunch

Several papers have emphasized the importance of CR in MM.,,– This is a difficult topic to cast doubt on because, after all, who can be against CR? The main reason to be cautious in espousing CR is the correlation between increased response rates and increased toxicity. Striving blindly for CR may lead to unacceptable and unnecessary toxicity for some patients and come at too great a price. However, oncologists willing to say that CR is not an important endpoint can quickly attain the pariah status. Despite this, we wish to highlight some important caveats about CR and illustrate its limited use as a surrogate endpoint in a disease, such as MM…

 

 

Leave a Comment:

9 comments
Multiple Myeloma Symptom, Side Effect- Bone Disease - PeopleBeatingCancer says 3 years ago

[…] Multiple Myeloma Chemotherapy- More Is Not Better- […]

Reply
9 Heart Toxins and How to Avoid/Heal Them - PeopleBeatingCancer says 5 years ago

[…] Multiple Myeloma-More Chemo Is Not Better- […]

Reply
Karen Loveless says 7 years ago

I had a SCT for MM in Sept 2015. Still do not feel well since transplant, tired, back & hip pain, neuropathy in feet. Good news I am here to see my grandson grow up another year. I was diagnosed in 2012 had traditional chemo & radiation almost died from it. Went to Dr Forsythe in Reno NV had 6 week holistic treatment with him and felt great. In remission for 18 months than MM came back strong and Kyprolis got me well enough for transplant but I have never felt well again like I did with that first remission. I currently take Revlimed and Norco for pain trying to ween myself of Norco. I also take an aspirin daily to prevent blood clots from Revlimed. I also get Zomeda monthly for bone strength. I just want to feel well is that possible or am I resigned to spend the rest of my life feeling sick? Also have horrible hot flashes. Any help will be appreciated. I am 61 yo and my father died from MM 16 years ago. Thanks Karen

Reply
    David Emerson says 7 years ago

    Hi Karen-

    I am sorry to read of your MM diagnosis and related pain. Focusing on the “good news” is a proven therapy. By saying that your initial chemotherapy almost killed you indicates that your body simply has a difficult time managing the toxicity of chemotherapy. This is common BTW.

    Frankly low-dose maintenance Revlimid causes pain as does Zometa. Revlimid can cause nerve pain and Zometa can cause cause joint pain.

    My suggestion is to consider Integrative therapies, as well as supplements that have been shown to be cytotoxic to MM. Two things. Certain integrative therapies have been shown to both enhance the efficacy of a given chemo while some can reduce toxicity.

    An example in your case would be curcumin. I will email you the Integrative therapies guide vie your email address. At the same time you can consider lowering the dose of Revlimid. Even “low-dose” can be lowered.

    I will outline MM cancer coaching in the email.

    David Emerson

    Reply
Multiple Myeloma Cancer Coaching- Costs, Health Ins, E.O.B.s and More- says 7 years ago

[…] Multiple Myeloma is Expensive-Understand when Less is More […]

Reply
Earl Kleypas says 7 years ago

I was diagnosed with MM in March of 2016. Genetic testing revealed an abnormality, deficiency of p17 chromosome, i.e, high risk. I had 4 VRD treatments prior to an autoglous stem cell transplant. Currently I am in remission, blood levels normal, bone marrow biopsy negative, urine protein normal. My oncologist at MD Anderson recommends maintenance with Ixazomib, Revlimid, and Dexamethasome. Alternatively he says there is a clinical trial that I could possibly do with Elotuzumab and Revlimid. I questioned him about curcumin and he doesn’t recommend it in addition to chemo or as an alternative maintenance therapy. I also questioned him if he would recommend the clinical trial, which is and infusion therapy,over the first option, which is all pills. He said there is not enough data to make a recommendation. If you were in my shoes, what would you do. I realize the decision is up to me, but I would like to get an opinion from a different source. Thank you for your assistance and your dedication to helping folks with a grim prognosis for the future. I am 59 years of age and had my stem cell transplant in October of 2016.

Reply
    David Emerson says 7 years ago

    Hi Earl-

    I want to attach some info in my reply to you so I am going to email you separately.

    David Emerson

    Reply
Connie says 7 years ago

I was wondering what you could tell me to help my mother. She was diagnosed with MGUS over three years ago and it has progressed to MM. She is seeing an oncologist every three months for blood work and we have been to MD Anderson and chemo was recommended. She suffered a compression fracture in her back this past summer and it was confirmed to be from MM. After all of the tests, they said she doesn’t have any more lesions on her bones but she is anemic. MD Anderson said her MM is non-aggressive. She is on an all organic diet, high protein, taking tumeric, pancreatic enzymes and a bunch of other vitamins but no prescription meds. Any recommendations for her? Thanks.

Reply
    David Emerson says 7 years ago

    Hi Connie-

    I am sorry to learn of your mom’s MM diagnosis. However it is good to read that her MM is non-aggressive.

    Your challenge is to weigh the risks and benefits of toxic therapy and your mom’s MM. MDAnderson is an excellent cancer center though they are sure to push the importance of chemotherapy. As a long-term MMer myself I live an evidence-based, non-toxic, anti-MM lifestyle through nutrition, supplementation, detoxification, bone health and mind-body therapies. Again, all evidence-based.

    Before I outline any recommendations may I ask you a few questions about your mom’s situation?

    What is the status of her spine? Did she undergo any radiation to the lesion at the site of the compression fracture? Has her oncologist recommended any bone strengthening therapies?

    Have you or your mom been given a stage for her MM? Non-aggressive is not a stage. Bone damage and anemia are two symptoms but did the tests you refer to speak of her “m-protein” or blood levels of MM?

    How old is your mom? What are your goals- such as length of life or quality of life? The two aren’t mutually exclusive of course, but the goals of the 40 year old newly diagnosed MMer may differ than those of the newly diagnosed 70 year old MMer.

    Thanks and let me know.

    David Emerson

    Reply
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