When Newly Diagnosed

CLL Diagnosis:
15 Natural Things to do. When people first find my site, CLLAlternatives.com, it’s generally because either they—or someone they care about—has recently been diagnosed. Of all the gut-punches a person can sustain in their life, this is probably the worst. Even the word leukemia itself strikes terror. A blood cancer. A death sentence.

I get emails and postings from many people who are stunned and trying to figure out what to do. Getting well is possible, but there’s no quick answer as to how. There is no magic bullet; only magic ammunition. The list I’ve compiled here is in no means the entire answer to getting well, but it is certainly a good start.

There is so much to know, and to learn. But every journey starts with the first step, and this list is a very good step in the right direction. With that in mind, here are 16 things you can do to get a jump start on improving your health and either getting totally well – or at least getting well enough to be confident of your future and longevity. The list keeps growing, and I might add to it in a different post from time to time.

1. Vitamin D3
   Take 8,000 to 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 every day, and get your levels tested regularly. For those fighting cancer or leukemia, your level should be somewhere between 70 and 99. (See links in bibliography for more information.)
2. Stop eating sugar.
   This is both simple and difficult, but it is also essential! Cancer feeds on sugar. Strive for a Paleo or Ketogenic diet. You don’t have to make the changes over night. You can start by cutting out all desserts–candy, cake, cookies, ice cream. If this sounds horrific, start by reducing the amount of sugar and find alternatives, or start making your own desserts at home. For example, I make my coconut-carob bars about once a week or so. They are made of just two ingredients, and they are so satisfying that I no longer crave chocolate! Not only that, they are healthy!!! It happens. Keep in mind that beyond desserts, you should eliminate white rice, white flour, and white potatoes from your diet. Try to eat more nuts and seeds, and fewer sweets. More details to follow.
3. No processed food.
   This means shopping in the produce section of your supermarket, and preferably buying as much organic as available. This means buying organic turkey and chicken in its raw form, with no additives or preservatives. (Read the labels.) This means buying only those packaged foods with labels indicating ONLY ingredients like: frozen blueberries (in the frozen section), or a jar of raw, local honey, or almond butter that contains only almonds. Rice cakes that are made of brown rice. That kind of processed food is okay.
4. Cut out gluten.
   There is increasing evidence that gluten is a culprit in robbing our health. This is especially important if you have a history of stomach upset or digestive issues. Cut out the gluten and you just might find that your gastric issues are history. The theory here is that the more items that are stressing your body, the less energy and immunity you have to fight your CLL. There are so many gluten-free items in the market these days, this shouldn’t be that difficult. (Don’t forget to check the sugar level on the label.)
5. Eat at home.
   You know what you’re eating when you eat your own cooking. Even “healthy” restaurants will have foods with hidden ingredients, food cooked or grilled at high temperatures, food with sugar and/or gluten. At this point I’m eating out about one or two times a week. I choose restaurants with good salads, as I prefer to avoid eating meat out. I don’t trust their meats. (For example, it’s rare to find a restaurant that services wild-caught salmon, rather than farmed. And even wild caught salmon would be unhealthy if grilled.) If I have to, I’ll eat before I go out and have a bag of nuts in my pocket to eat after the meal, on the way home. Failing to plan is planning to fail. So look up the menu online and figure out what you can eat! I’ve even brought my own garlic sea salt to use instead of a restaurant’s GMO salad dressing. Think ahead and dine out infrequently.
   A subtitle here show be to EAT Fermented Veggies and Bone Broth soup! The fermented vegetables are natural and much more effective probiotics than those pills we buy at health food stores — with several times more “good bugs” than the pills. Bone broth soup is full of collagen, which builds the connective tissue and is a health builder for those with leukemia (and anyone wishing to be healthy!) The Weston Price Foundation is a good source of information about how to make your own pickles and soup. They have many books, and better  yet, local chapters that give volunteer-driven classes on these subjects and more.
6. Cook low and slow.
   Another way to say this is: don’t eat food that was cooked at high temperatures! Grilled and burnt food raise your WBC temporarily. It also gives your body potential carcinogens that your liver and digestive system will have to tend to. Instead make stews and stews, roast in the oven at no higher than 300 degrees (with water and covered with foil), slow saute meats and vegetables, adding olive oil and seasonings when meal is almost completed. Make use of your crock pot, or simmer on your stove top using plenty of water to make certain it doesn’t dry out in your absence. This tip has been HUGE for me. When I started doing this at the end of 2012, I reduced my WBC to the low 20s in the span of three months. I’ve continued and now my WBC is (usually) in the mid-teens.
7. Baking Soda
   Take 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda in your water before bed each night to keep your pH at 7 at optimal levels. I buy the market brand and take this with my night pills. (All supplements.)
8. Peak Immune
   Take Peak Immune, by Daiwa. Especially if you’ve ever had any problem with your neutrophil level. Buy the bottle at the best price you can, and take it religiously. I buy it on the re-order system on LuckyVitamin.com. Shop around for your own best deal. (I have no affiliation with this company. I do not sell anything that has to do with CLLAlternatives.com, or with CLL in general. I write my blog and help people on the phone because that’s what I do. This site and its upcoming book are non-profit in every sense of the word.) But back to Peak Immune…my neutrophil level remains in the safety zone so long as I keep taking this pill. It could be that some of the healing mushrooms could have the same effect, but I’m dancing with the one that brung me. I’m so grateful to have found a product that keeps my neutrophil level normal—with zero side effects—that I plan to take it (and recommend it) forever.
9. Natural Personal Care Products
   Make sure all your personal care products are either organic or home-made. Don’t let it touch your skin if you wouldn’t eat it! These days I keep a small glass container of organic coconut oil in the bathroom to use as skin “cream.” Works wonderfully! This also goes for toothpaste, soap, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, the whole ball of wax. (If the wax is organic.  )
10. Natural House Cleaning Solutions
    Clean your house without toxins, as well. My husband was after me to do this for years. I wish I’d listened to him sooner. I use baking soda, organic dish wash liquid, white vinegar, peroxide, and occasionally a lemon to clean my kitchen and bathroom. I’ve recently added the Mr. Clean Eraser as I can’t find anything on the Internet showing that it’s toxic. Now that I use all these nontoxic items to clean, it’s funny how noxious even products like Ajax and Comet smell. Glad to have them out of my house! Once again, this is getting the irritants out of the way and allowing your body to heal!
11. Reduce Your Stress
    Arrange your life to reduce your stress. I know, easier said than done. But sometimes you have to step back and make changes in your life, if your life is killing you. Does your boss make your blood boil? Look for another job, or even consider changing careers to something more peaceful or meaningful. Avoid friends or relationships that cause your pain. Step back and take a look at your life and try to set things up to make yourself happy. Happy people have a better chance at healing. Which brings us to:
12. Get Eight Hours of Sleep Per Night
    Plan to get into bed at 10 PM and do your best to make that happen. I will admit that many times I make it there a half-hour later. But 10:30 is a LOT better than 11:00 PM. I truly feel the difference! For example, if I’ve been stressed (it happens) by life or by minor illness, like a cold, my salivary glands tend to swell and get tender. If I get enough sleep, voila! In the morning, my neck feels normal again. In fact, when I get good sleep regularly, I feel wonderful. This is simple and free, and I highly recommend it!
13. Exercise!
    You don’t have to run a marathon. In fact, it might not be a good idea. (See number 11.) However, going for long walks, jumping on a rebounder (mini-trampoline), lifting weights, going on a treadmill or other exercise equipment like a stair-stepper or elliptical trainer, is a great idea. It stresses your body the right amount. This is the “use it or lose it” issue. If you let yourself become, a couch potato, this is terrible for your general health. And when dealing with CLL, your general health matters! It is your keep to getting well!
14. Find your meditation.
    I know this can sound strange. And truth be told, I don’t really meditate. But I do crave silent alone-time when I can sit with my journal and write. This is my own method of ‘meditation.’ Find your own way to de-stress, preferably daily. Listen to your favorite music, pray, relax with a good book. Color in those adult coloring books. Whatever works for you. Don’t make it a chore; that’s not the point. Find something relaxing that you really want to do to get inside yourself and leave the world behind for at least 15 minutes each day.
15. Never Stop Learning
    Get acquainted with Mercola.com for a treasure trove of past articles on all things health-related, as well as a daily email of more and more health-related articles and news. Also, log onto westonaprice.org and sign up for constant contact from this valuable organization. This is where you can learn how to make your own fermented vegetables (sauerkraut and pickles) and bone broth soup. Both are essential for getting well. (Do some of the other steps first, and work your way to making your own healing foods.)
    
    Bonus Suggestion:
    Buy The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Winters and Kelley
    I was so excited when reading this book. Because…I’m already doing about 90% of what she says. Why is this exciting? I was diagnosed in 2001, told by my pathologist uncle that I’d likely have symptoms in two years and be dead in five. (That didn’t lead to a good night’s sleep, let me tell you.) But here it is, sixteen years later, and my numbers are similar to what they were at diagnosis, and other than those salivary glands that have been swollen since the beginning of time and one “palpable” (but barely visible) node on my neck, I’m symptom free. This didn’t happen by itself. And I didn’t read this book until this past summer. Over the course of time, I’ve shifted my diet from SAD (Standard American) to what I thought was “healthier” (yogurt on an organic, store-bought cookies), to Macrobiotic (beans, greens, brown rice and sea weed), to my current amalgamation of Paleo, ketogenic and Weston Price Foundation. You can cut out a lot of wasted time by reading this book! I recommend it with my whole being.

There is so much more I could say, but I’m leaving it here at Lucky Sixteen. Please read and consider all these suggestions if you’re just starting out. Please post with your experiences and thoughts, and with your own suggestions. I do answer private emails, but I think we all help each other when we’re willing to post. You can do it anonymously, but do it!