Skip to main content

There is no magic bullet

I just hate it when people ask me for advice about what I've done [and am still doing] to keep my MCL at bay for so long. I hate it because I really don't have a good answer, and I don't want to mislead anyone.

Sure I drink a lot of green tea, and a lot of red wine, but I'm not really convinced they have been effective in holding my MCL at bay. There just isn't any scientific evidence proving their efficacy. I am hopeful, and believe that in moderation, taking only what can be obtained naturally, can't do any harm. I won't take and EGCG or Reservatrol supplements.

[note]The main reason I drink lots of green tea is to ensure I hydrate myself enough, and I drink red wine, well... because I like it.[/note]

There are however, some practices I follow which I believe have been effective in extending my longevity, i.e. restricting caloric intake, and intense exercise, but I haven't seen any scientific evidence to prove the effectiveness of those practices either, although there is this one anectdotal study on the restriction of caloric intake by Arthur B. Robinson, which seems plausible to me.

So despite everything I continue to do, I don't have any illusions that there is a magic bullet out there. Principally, I believe it is just the luck of the draw, that has allowed me to last this long [without treatment], and the fact I likely received my MCL diagnosis earlier than most people.

Of course that doesn't mean I won't keep looking for that magic bullet either, nor do I plan to stop riding my bike, or drinking green tea and red wine.

Comments

Becky said…
My god you are getting lazy. Now you don't even want to help people? Just put yourself in their shoes, pretend you've just learned you had cancer and how uneducated you were on the subject and how much you know now. You obviously learned something from someone. You are still alive and kicking ass. It's quite a compliment, you know. I really need to get better, get back to work and crack my whip!
I know! It is so hard to know if something, anything you are doing is actually helping! I am actually writing a book about just this type of thing (my first, Living with Multiple Myeloma) One third of the book will be about nutrition, one third spirituality and the remaining portion a catch-all about our crazy, messed up insurance system and the like. Guess all we can do is what is comfortable and feels right for us at the time. Good luck and enjoy planning your trip in January! Pat
Marc said…
Well I'll be interested to read your book Pat. Just make sure it's available for the Kindle.

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...

History IS repeating itself

I didn't grow up during the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so for me to claim it feels like those are the times we are living in now, must be taken with a grain of salt. But I have seen enough movies, and read enough history to know, if the times we're living in now are not akin to the rise of a Nazism and Facism in Europe in the 1930's and 1940's, then we're not far off. If you can't see the parallels with Nazi Germany, then you must be living in a different country than me. Republicans and other right wing extremists will stop at nothing to subvert the will of the majority, forcing their beliefs, that they are the superior race and have been appointed by God, to impose their will on America, while they blame all our problems on immigrants, blacks and Jews. As I speak, Mitch McConnell, and his minions are raising roadblocks to all legislation designed to help average Americans under the guise of fiscal responsibility. They condone violent and verba...

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...