I wanted to share a few things from my daily regimen that have helped me the last few months….things that I’ll carry with me even after chemotherapy stops. These things have helped me with nausea, detox, energy etc. Please do everything at your own risk. Please do your own research and consult a doctor when in doubt!
I’ve tried to break these down on a “need to know” basis…..only the information I’ve retained and feel I need to know.
Gin Gins Ginger Candy: Ginger helps relieve nausea among other health benefits.
Ginger Candy. For nausea. My friend Aileen got me hooked on these Gin Gins candy…..great for nausea. I don’t like the taste of ginger but I love these….they are a little spicy hot and taste almost like caramels. I even let them dissolve in peppermint tea. You can find them at World Market and Trader Joe’s or online.
Sublingual Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps to heal the blood! Sublingual vitamin tablets dissolve immediately under the tongue, resulting in quick and direct absorption……..bypassing the digestive system – resulting in the maximum amount of nutrient assimilation.
Women are supposed to get 10,000 IUs a day of Vitamin D! My mom bought this one for me from our local compounding pharmacy….but I found it on Amazon as well.
Coffee Enema: Based on the Gerson Therapy. Gerson believed that caffiene could stimulate the liver and gall bladder to discharge bile. The liver alone, especially in cancer patients, cannot deal with a sudden influx of toxins into the bloodstream. The coffee enemas increase liver filtering, greatly aiding the liver’s ability to remove serum toxins.
I know not everyone wants to talk about coffee enemas….but I swear they’ve changed my life. I only wish I’d started doing them years ago. All you need is an enema kit from the drugstore. You can usually find them in the women’s hygiene section. I do one at least every few days. There are directions on the box but basically just brew organic coffee like you regularly would and add it to the enema bag and dilute with water (make sure to let the coffee cool or mix with cool water!). So much better than laxatives or any other kind of stimulant. You’ll be cleaned out more naturally and quickly…..not like laxatives which can catch you by surprise!
Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath: Detoxifies and helps re-alkaline the body….using the skin as an organ of elimination and detoxification.
Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath…..known for it’s healing properties and ability to detoxify the body. Dr. Singha’s practice stressed the importance of the skin as an organ of elimination and absorption. I use it a day or so after chemotherapy. I run a warm bath with the mixture….climb in…..and slowly add hot water to the bath so it gets hotter and hotter.
Wheatgrass: Wheat-grass juice is very high in chlorophyll content and contains every necessary nutrient. Benefits include boosting of the immune system and nervous system and improving digestion and metabolism. It contains antioxidants which repair damaged cells. It can increase red blood cell count and improve blood disorders.
Get it at your local farmer’s market, health food store or grow your own……or even find a local juice bar where they juice it for you. I usually get about 2 full cuttings from a small palette. You can cut all the wheat grass off and water it well and it grows back a second time. It keeps well in Ziploc bags for a few days! We press the juice…enough for a shot of wheatgrass….and add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and chase with a lemon. Juice a bunch to add to a an enema bag to feed your digestive system.
I love this little compact wheatgrass press from Lexen. It’s affordable ($48) and great quality. It’s also super compact and just attaches to a countertop or table.
Cell food: Contains 78 ionic minerals, 34 enzymes, 17 amino acids, electrolytes and dissolved oxygen. Oxygenates and feeds your body’s cells all day long.
I just add a few drops to water, juice….anything I’m drinking! Easiest thing ever….you can carry it in your purse!
Probiotics: Improves intestinal microbial balance and inhibits pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Probiotics restore the balance of intestinal microflora which is important to a healthy immune system.
I use two kinds. Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics and Jarrow-Dophilus EPS. I try to remember to take them a few times a day but if I remember once a day that’s better than nothing! I buy them at my local health food store.
Local Honey: Helps dissolve mucus and stimulates healing. Can help with allergies.
Local Bee Pollen: Energizes, aids digestion, helps build red blood cells….it’s the most complete known food source.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Helps remove toxins and supports a healthy immune system, rich in enzymes and potassium, can help arthritis and joint pain.
Chia Seeds: Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which are the primary building block of cells. Great for heart health and full of antioxidants.
I mix all of these into a super shot….and drink it all at once. A shot glass of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, with a bit of local bee pollen and honey, sprinkled with some chia seeds.
Click here for 20 other uses for Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar!
Kombucha: A probiotic beverage which improves digestion. It also is anti-oxidant rich so it helps to boost your immune system and energy levels. It can aid the liver in detoxification.
Kombucha is made from a sweetened tea into a culture (a symbiosis of bacteria and yeasts). I try to drink about one a day. I love the ones with ginger in them because they help to settle my stomach even more.
This would have been impossible for me to integrate into my life if I didn’t have help. My mother and my friend Megan have given me little bits of information at a time and I would integrate one thing at a time. It didn’t all happen at once. I’d be too overwhelmed. As my friend Megan tells me: your body will tell you when it needs something!
Anything you think I should add? Leave it in the comments!
Great tips! I’m always looking for great ways to detox without causing any harm.
Apple Cider Vinegar is a great one! My sister uses as a way to detox her kids and teach them a lesson. They call it the “bad word medicine” whenever someone is caught saying a bad word they have to take a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. It’s nasty stuff but completely safe and even healthy!! The best part is that mom and dad have to do it too!
Good luck with everything-you’ve got some many people on your side and we all love you!
Kari
Newlyweds on a Budget
Sorry – but so sad to hear apple cider vinegar is used as a punishment. Seems so wrong on all levels – it’s so good for you – cleanses your organs and gets your metabolism going – not a great idea to use it as a punishment mechanism. The greatest tip I can give – threaten kids with having to clean toilets – ick on all levels. Keep the healthy stuff for positive living. Mixed messaging is mixed up.
This all reminds me how happy I will be when I move and will be closer to my favorite health food store. My husband on the other hand will not.
I just made my first batch of kombucha tea
Thanks for sharing the many aspects of you journey. You continue to inspire me to chose joy. You remain in my prayers.
Pax, lena
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Wow what a great mix. I have some kombucha tea brewing on my counter right now. I just read on marks daily apple.com that fasting before and after chemo helps the healthy cells go into survival mode. some also report it helps curb the side effects too. He does post a link to these research studies. Best of luck and godbless.
Thanks for the tips! Will be adding some of them to our new regime 🙂
Well interesting and thank you I will be trying some of these never too old to learn Right. Keeping you in my prayers 🙂
Really useful thanks! I use some of things you’ve listed but I think I’m going to try out the others – if I can get the various items in the UK!
I add wheatgrass juice to fresh apple juice. It doesn’t taste quite so strong then.
Keep that positive attitude Ashley, we are all thinking of you
xx
Thanks for compiling this list! There are lots of things on here I’ve never heard of. I’m going to try a few out for sure. I’m really interested in the mustard bath.
Have you tried the Synergy Kombucha with Chia seeds? It’s my super drink!
My grandparents swore by brewer’s yeast. They mixed it in yogurt. My grandpa’s a spry almost 90 year old so he’s been doing something right =)
Yikes, Ashley! That’s alot of vitamin D!! The mayo clinic says the adult dose is 600IU a day (see the mayo clinic link below). I’m surprised they sell a supplement with that much per tablet. From my (other) reading, consuming well over the recommended vitamin D dose can put someone at risk of soft tissue mineralization (making bone in tissues like ligaments and tendons). You might want to ask your doctor about whether this much vitamin D is safe.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d-toxicity/AN02008
Actually I think thats vitamin A… it calcifies cartilage/tendons/ligaments in mass doses – but it does take a lot. I studied the skeleton of a cat once that had been fed liver every day (liver = very high in vit A)… not a good outcome for the cat – everything had turned to bone, and poor thing couldn’t move by the time it died.
For the D3 she is fine– “Safety research supports an upper limit of a dose of vitamin D to be more than or equal to 250 micrograms daily (10,000 IU of vitamin D3)”
I’m a doctor. That dose of vitamin D may be ok, but it’s usually best to max your dosage at 5,000 IU unless you have a lab test that says you need more.
I never knew that ginger was good for nausea. I’ve not settled in my new job yet, and I’m plagued with anxious nausea every Tuesday and Wednesday. (Different locations to my normal place of work on those days.) Going to give ginger a try! Thank you!
Have you looking into Insulin Potentiation Chemotherapy? It is chemo without the side effects. My husband is doing very well on it. Not FDA approved (yet) but many clinics are using it and word is getting out on how effective it is at killing cancer cells but sparing non-cancerous cells. Lots of info on YouTube and, of course, Google.
I can’t wait to try some of these and pass them on to my mom (who has immune issues).
I’ve been brewing my own kombucha for a while, and it’s pretty easy to do. = ) So much cheaper than buying the bottles. I know you’ve got enough on your plate, but you might want to give it a try. = )
And those ginger chews are my favorite!!!
First, I want to say how amazing you are….a beautiful inspiration! Second, thank you for sharing all of this. I have been hooked on bee pollen since you mentioned it before. I tell everyone to try it! I’m anxious to try these other things. And…I made the creamy tomato pasta last night….huge hit! My husband and kids loved it! You rock!
There is a company called Orenda International that works in immune system modulation. I know a handful of people who got off of their oral chemo a couple of years ahead of schedule after they started using it. I had night & day changes in a matter of days. years ago. I don’t even have to use it anymore! My doc (runs an integrative wellness clinic) put his kids on it and his son who had survived cancer as a baby had a terribly compromised immune system his whole life because of chemo. Blood infections, bone infections, almost constant antibiotics, etc. Once he started the immune product, he lost like 80 pounds because he felt so good and became a 2 sport high school athlete, no more antibiotics, immune system working properly & is now in med school! I can get you any info you might want, and I usually just order the stuff for my friends and family with the 40% discount I’ve had forever… that would be you, if you like! 🙂 Amazing, miracle style stuff this is!
Hi Ashley, I’m new to your blog and wanted to let you know what an inspiration you are! My husband just underwent a bone marrow transplant at Duke a couple of weeks ago and I have been searching for ways to enhance his immune system and plan to use some of your ideas. We live in Rock Hill, SC just a hop, skip and jump from Charlotte. I’m praying for you and for everyone who has had to face this monster they call cancer. Blessings to you and your precious family.
thx for sharing all of this very useful info, ash… my brother will be on chemo every month for the rest of his life… he is living with a brain tumor… i am going to pass this info onto him… i am also going to incorrporate some of the above into my daily/weekly routine… i need to start taking better care of myself… peace <3
thx for sharing all of this very useful info, ash… my brother will be on chemo every month for the rest of his life… he is living with a brain tumor… i am going to pass this info onto him… i am also going to incorrporate some of the above into my daily/weekly routine… i need to start taking better care of myself… peace <3 … u r loved
couple of tips that worked for me:
yogurt for thrush — tried the magic mouthwash from my doctor but it didn’t work – so I started eating a yogurt every day and that seemed to help.
Bag balm – I used bag balm on my babies when they had diaper rash and it worked like a charm. — Soooo when the chemo came out of my body, I would get me some diaper rash and Bag balm helped with that. You can find bag balm at the pharmacy section of Walmart or in the Pet supply section — Bag balm is for cow utters when they get chapped!! : )
I love learning about alternative health care so thanks for sharing what is working for you and I might even try a thing or two. Have you ever tried Essential Oils made by DoTerra? I have heard so many miracle stories from people that have used DoTerra oils, mainly Frankincense. I use them daily and love them! and you for always sharing and helping others!
http://doterralife.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/essential-oil-cancer-treatment/
Just found this!
What does the mustard bath smell like?
It smells strongly like mint/eucalyptus, doesn’t smell like mustard at all. You can usually find a single size bag online (I found one at amazon) to try it out – that way if you don’t like it, you’re not stuck with a big box of stuff you won’t use. (Ingredients are sodium carbonate, certified organic powdered mustard seed, essential oils of wintergreen, eucalyptus, rosemary and thyme and powdered gum benzoin)
I was skeptical at first, so I only got a small box of it, but I loved it and got a large jar of it and use it about once a week now.
Can’t wait to try some of these. I Never have enough energy. What would u suggest would give me the most from your list? I just bought a vitamix and I drink a “green drink” in the mornings with kale,spinach,grapes, carrots,dates a little honey,apple and orange. It is really not bad at all. Even my 9 yr old who is very picky likes it. Thanks for sharing.
Hugs
Love being reminded to keep things in our diet/routine. Thanks for this!
Random, I adore gin gins and haven’t had them in years!
Also worth trying:
dandelion root tea for detox and liver health
Black cumin seed oil – there are some promising studies at Pennington biomedical research center involving its use in cancer treatment.
Awesome! I was thinking of doing the coffee enema again. It’s been a few years. I did a grape juice fast prior to the enema. I could not believe the hard thick twisted ropes of mucous that came out of my body! Do you get similar results without a detox fast?
You are definitely on the right track with your healing program. Thank you for sharing your well researched information!
Wishing you a long and healthy life!
Try following the coffee enema with a Braggs apple cider vinegar diluted solution together with molasses. The combination of the two are very effective in removal of long built up fecal matter from the colon wall. Contact me for more details.
You are such an inspiration. You have been in my thoughts and prayers since I came across your blog. Im so glad your posted your daily regimen, I have often wondered how you do so much. Thanks!!
thanks so much for all the info!
I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to share this information! I’m older but lack energy plus a couple of other things. You’re always thinking of others and we’re all thinking of you! 🙂
Prayers continue ~
xo
Pat
I swear by ginger baths. I suppose it is much like your mustard baths. You have to get ginger powder – add to a really hot bath. Soak in tub – but be prepared to sweat out all those toxins at night. You have to lay a towel down on your bed. It is awesome!
I have been reading your blog for a long time and was shocked to read about your trials that you are going through right now. You inspire me daily with your JOYful outlook and positive attitude!
My thoughts and prayers continue for you and your darling family!
…(thanks for sharing all this great info that you do! So interesting and so helpful!)
Thinking of you and sending healthy positive thoughts your way. Thank you for this list-I am going to pin it, so friends can see this too. Keep on keepin’ on.
Ashley,
I love your posts. I check your blog almost daily to see how you are doing and the tricks in your bag that you are using to manage your cancer journey. I have incorporated so much of your healthy lifestyle tips that you have shared on your blog into my daily life. I like your attitude – if you forget – it’s okay! You are so beautiful and positive. Hang in there. You have so many girlfriends around the country wishing you the very best through the awesome days and the not so awesome days.
xxx,
Stacey
Good for you. I’m sure your mom and friend are so grateful that you are taking some of these steps. From your updates it sounds like your body is responding.
Ashley, I am intrigued by some of your items and have used a few of them as well. I am going to try your apple cider vinegar shot. I am a registered dietitian and I agree with someone about checking w/ your Dr about your Vit D intake. Just make him aware- which I’m sure you do. I’m sure given the chemo your Vit D level is low or low side of normal. I have patients take between 2,000 IUs – 5,000 IUs per day depending on their D level. And Claire they actually sell a vitamin D supplement in a chewable wafer form that is 50,000 IUs of Vit D. When people are deficient we have them take 1- wafer 1x per week for 1-3 months to bring up their levels and then 5,000 IU per day as maintenance. Ashley your amazing!
I’ve followed you a few years back and recently found you again. You are a powerful and amazing woman. Your in my thoughts every morning I meditate. You will survive. That is what I know. Thank you for all you give. Love the pay it forward I do it every day I can.
Great tips! I need to try them as I am going to chemo as well. I just also found out that their a great drink called “orgain” that is supposed to be a very good nutritional support during chemo, especially when we are not feeling that hungry. They sell it on amazon.com. Love!
Just a note for those that care. Cisplatinum depletes magnesium whihc is the most important of all, but something that Ashley isn’t using. Lots of research about it, but that’s why you get muscle cramps, constipation, and heart palpitations. For anyone on cisplatinum, ask your doctor about using magnesium.
Brilliant list – onto it – !!!
I had really good results with 1 – 2 table spoons of flax seeds per day to help against constation. I usually mix them into my cereal. But be sure to have a hifh enough fluid intake or the effect will reverse itself. I’ ve heard that flax seeds are also high in omega-3-fatty-acids.
Thanks for all the inspiration on how to be positive and lead a healthy life style!
Thanks for all of the great tips! I just wanted to let you know that if you haven’t already you should try the spicy apple giner chews. They are definitely my favorite. I don’t like ginger either but my mom got me hooked on those a few months back!
hi ashley! i love following your blog. so inspiring!
i heard about this story [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbUXFqd1v0M&feature=player_embedded ] today and thought of you. i think you’ll appreciate it.
Hello there. I just read about your diagnosis and treatment a few weeks ago when I asked a friend about an art bog I had seen at her house at the beginning of 2011. Of course it was yours and I was saddened but heartened to see your subsequent journey with cancer. Here’s the interesting bit though. Yesterday I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Quite the shock as you know. It seems the universe had kindly given me a little blow softener to the world of the big C by sending you over a few weeks back. I hope my outcome and attitude can be as good as yours. Thanks!
Ashley, this is great, thanks for the tips. I’ use to take cell food in my water years ago, but no one ever mentioned it, till now. So I thought it was a scam, but I will have to re-buy some now. Did you know it was invented by the guy who like worked on Atomic bombs… he wanted to make something that gave life back, not destroyed it. Kind of neat story. Anyhoo, these are great tips. You need to make a health section on your website and offer a monthly health tip. 🙂
YOU ARE AWESOME!! I PRAY GOD CONTINUES TO BLESS U!
I have some type of intolerance to corn (was tested and it is not an allergy). I have a very painful bloating reaction after unknowingly ingesting a tiny amount of corn or corn products. I used to have about 8 to 10 hours of agony…and I mean agony! I’ve gone to the hospital thinking I was having a gall bladder attack, but by the time I’m seen, everything seems normal. I somehow stumbled across a website or blog that mentioned Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, and boy has it changed my life! Whenever I feel the slightest bit of pain or bloating coming on, I take about a tablespoon or two ACV mixed with about 8 oz. of apple juice (to make it taste better). Within 15 minutes, the pain is gone! I’m thinking about carrying a flask of it in my purse for those times when I’m out and about and accidentally eat something with corn. Don’t know how or why it works, but I swear by it!
This is my first time on your blog. I ended up here by following someone’s pin on Pinterest. I must say that younare an amazing and talented lady! Sending prayers of comfort and healing your way.
I use most of the stuff that you listed above. Great List by the way! Some of the other alternatives routes I use is Far infared Therapy. There is a special pad that was designed for cancer patients using a really cool technology. The company is called MPS Global. It’s not that expensive and boy does it speed the healing process. I also use a product called Opaline Oxy. It’s kinda similar to the cell food but way better. Willard water is great too! Ever heard of it? What else? oh and if you can’t poop….I’ve got the thing for you! It’s called Happy Tummy. My toxicologist reccomended it. you will NEVER have a pooping problem again. In fact I had some polyps that it managed to take care of. Totaly cleans you out. Integrative Health Systems, LLC sells that along with Jerulsalem Artichoke flower…I take that too. Very good probiotics in that stuff. Actually you can get the tubers and grow your own! Much cheaper that way. A little birdie also told me that eating 7 raw apricot seeds a day helps keep the cancer at bay. B17 does a body good! I’ve been sick for a long time…but getting better. Only they don’t know (or can’t say) what I have. Dr. Hildegaard Staninger is the owner of Integrative health Systems. She’s such a nice lady and she is wicked smart in healing the body. She actually wrote some text books for NIOSH. All of the above helped me to speed up the healing process. If you need any help finding any of them just let me know. Many blessings to you and your family!
Ashley, thanks for sharing your comprehensive list! Love your proactive approach to everything – you are such a great example and a great mom to your daughter. For sleep problems at our house we use a product call InvigoRest. It is basically vitatmin B6 and amino acids. It doesn’t really make you sleepy, but it helps you stay asleep, or if you wake during the night it is easier to go back to sleep. Then we feel more alert in the morning. I only take 1/2 of the recommended dose. http://www.restandrepair.com. We like the “original” formula the best. God bless!
Ashley , Thank you so much you are so amazing . I do pray for you daily and pray that you are well ive even done visualization seeing you healthy and well filled with Energy in a pink bubble. You deserve to be well and i see u as well . Im sure uve thaught of doing Visualization I have some things to send you via snail mail so email me so i can send it to you. My love to you and your family . Thank you so much for all the kind things you do for all of us and others. Hava blast with your sister. I have more talents i will share with you when you email me , I used to do it for the Movie Industry and i was very successful doing it I feel i can help you (No Charge to you) At this time i have a blood clot in my leg and my throid is bad and my lymph system is bad so im trying to help my self since i dont have insurance. I am a cancer survivor so been there done that. Love to you Cheyenne from Henderson Nevada
Ashley – Love your blog – what an inspiration you are in more ways than one! Thanks for sharing! Just thought I would share my blog with you. Thanks for checking it out!
Love your blog! As a cancer survivor myself, you are an inspiration to me in more ways than one! Thanks!
Oops! Posted twice – sorry, didn’t think it worked the first time!
Ashley~you are such an amazing inspiration! Incredible! I love this list…just checking it out, for overall health…wondering what other uses, ‘mixtures’ people have used the Bee Pollen with/for? Thanks!
I was forwarded your blog this morning to look at your elf photos, and happened upon your story! What an inspiration! Like you, I started looking more towards natural health a few years ago because I was going through a health crisis while trying to conceive a second child. I encourage you to check out this doctor http://www.beatcancer.org. She is all about preventing cancer and keeping it in remission through diet and lifestyle. She offers free consultations on her website, and I have heard her speak before and she is amazing! She is very big on juicing, and recommends Juice Plus (17 raw fruits/veggies in capsules) for those that can’t keep up with juicing, or for a more constant intake of all the thousands of phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc that our bodies need to daily to thrive! A lot of doctors are now recommending it to their patients (becUse of the research done on it) I would love to send you more info/sample, or you can watch videos about it on my website above. Sorry to ramble on, but it is great stuff (they have gummies for kids, too!) 😉 Thanks for your amazing blog, I am honored to have stumbled upon it!!!