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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Thick blood, ESR Rate, Blood Clot
“Multiple myeloma is associated with a significant risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE-blood clot), causing substantial levels of morbidity and mortality.”
Thick blood, documented by a high ESR rate is a common multiple myeloma symptom. A deep vein thrombosis, aka aka DVT, aka blood clot, according to research, is a common multiple myeloma side effect of many chemotherapy regimens.
My mantra “If I knew then what I know now” is my way of telling multiple myeloma patients, survivors and caregivers how ignorant I was about MM symptoms and MM side effects when I was first diagnosed.
I developed a blood clot shortly after beginning my induction chemotherapy cocktail of Vincristine, Adriamycin and Dexamethasone.
It never occurred to me that the VAD induction therapy that I had taken two weeks before was the cause of my painful, life threatening deep vein thrombosis. It never occurred to me that the complete trust that I placed in my oncology team was misplaced.
My point above, is that multiple myeloma patients may struggle to manage their incurable blood cancer at the expense of their blood health aka risk of blood clots.
To put this another way, aggressive MM therapy such as chemo, radiation and dexamethasone can manage a patient’s MM while damaging his/her blood health and increase the risk of blood clots at the same time.
A possible solution to the challenge of multiple myeloma symptoms and multiple myeloma side effects that all MM patients face is evidence-based non-conventional therapies such as
- omega-3 fatty acids,
- curcumin and
- resveratrol.
The issue discussed in the post are the problems that both MM and MM therapies cause the patient’s blood. I continue to take omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin and resveratrol to manage my MM, my blood, my heart, my brain, my…you get the idea.
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
- Multiple Myeloma Side Effect- Resolve Blood Clots (VTE)
- Multiple Myeloma Side Effects- Chemo & Blood Clot (VTE) Prevention
- Multiple Myeloma Diet for Kidney Involvement
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
“The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate) is the rate at which red blood cells in anticoagulated whole blood descend in a standardized tube over a period of one hour. It is a common hematology test, and is a non-specific measure of inflammation…
The ESR is increased in inflammation, pregnancy, anemia, autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus), infections, some kidney diseases and some cancers (such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma)…
Combining Simple Blood Tests Might Accelerate Diagnosis of Myeloma
“Myeloma may involve various symptoms, such as kidney failure, bone pain, fatigue from anemia, or headache from plasma hyper-viscosity (increased thickness of the blood).
Of all common cancers, myeloma has the longest interval from initial manifestation of symptoms to diagnosis. A large number of patients are diagnosed only after seeking emergency care, which is linked to to shorter survival…
Although the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and plasma viscosity (PV) have been used together to diagnose myeloma, they have not been addressed individually…
Thrombosis is associated with inferior survival in multiple myeloma
“In summary, in this large population-based study based on over 9,000 multiple myeloma patients, we found, in contrast to previously published studies, that the occurrence of any thrombosis was associated with a significantly poorer survival.
Multiple myeloma patients with an early arterial or venous thrombosis had a higher risk of death than patients without.
However, multiple myeloma patients with an early VTE who survived their first six months had similar survival rates to those without VTE. Therefore, our findings confirm that thrombosis in multiple myeloma patients is a serious complication, and that it increases mortality, also in the era of novel agents.”
Venous thromboembolism in multiple myeloma – choice of prophylaxis, role of direct oral anticoagulants and special considerations.
Multiple myeloma is associated with a significant risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), causing substantial levels of morbidity and mortality.
The thrombogenicity of myeloma is multifactorial, with disease- and treatment-related factors playing important roles.
- Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) and
- high-dose dexamethasone,
in particular, are known to enhance the thrombotic potential of myeloma. For this reason, assessment of the VTE risk has long been advocated prior to treatment initiation in patients with myeloma requiring IMiD-based regimens.
However, despite routine use of thromboprophylaxis, these patients can still develop VTE and its sequelae. The optimum choice and dose of thromboprophylactic drug is not entirely clear, and with this, there is growing interest regarding use of the direct oral anticoagulants in this setting…
We propose an amended risk stratification, and consider management of challenging patients, including those with renal impairment and recurrent thrombosis.”
How to Reduce Your Risk of Blood Clots (DVT and PE)
“Cancer patients have an elevated risk of developing life-threatening blood clots. For some patients, the type of cancer (multiple myeloma) they have can trigger blood clots. Some cancers actually produce substances which can activate the clotting cascade and produce blood clots (thrombosis).
…Additionally, some cancer drug therapies (i.e. Tamoxifen, progestins, aromatase inhibitors, thalidomide, cisplatin, antiangiogenic agents, etc.) and radiation therapy can cause inflammation and injure vascular endothelial walls, a set up for thrombosis.
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which also help to thin blood (e.g., oily fish, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables). One study of nearly 22,000 individuals reported that those who consumed >4.7 grams per week of marine omega-3 fatty acids (from either fish or supplements) had a 22-26% lower risk of developing a DVT and 39-60% lower risk of developing a PE.
- Avoid excessive intake of saturated fats, sugar and salt
- Consider foods and supplements that reduce blood clotting: curcumin, polyphenol-rich foods (brightly colored fruits, vegetables and berries, olive oil) and drinks (green and black tea), foods rich in vitamin C (citrus, peppers, cruciferous vegetables, watercress, strawberries, spinach), garlic, onions, tomatoes, Gingko biloba, rutin (plant flavonoid), Danshen Compound Tablet (a traditional Chinese medicine formula: Salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax notoginseng and Borneum syntheticum), nattokinase (fermented soybean product)
Curcumin, hemostasis, thrombosis, and coagulation.
Platelet activation and aggregation play a central role in hemostasis and thrombosis. Herbal medicines have been traditionally used in the management of cardiovascular disease and can help in modifying its progression, particularly in hemostasis and the coagulation process, as well as altering platelet function tests and some coagulation parameters.
Modern scientific research has demonstrated its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, antithrombotic, and cardiovascular protective effects.
The present study reviewed previous studies in the literature, which support the positive activity of curcumin in hemostasis, anticoagulation, and fibrinolysis…”
Protective effect of resveratrol, a red wine constituent polyphenol, on rats subjected to portal vein thrombosis.
“This experimental study investigated the prophylactic effects of the antioxidant and antiaggregant compound resveratrol (R) on portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in rats…”