The Best of Friends
Do you know how it feels to laugh so hard that the muscles in your gut start to spasm? You can’t speak and you can barely breath. Then, the situation gets even funnier and you wonder if you will pass out from laughing. We had a lot of these moments on this trip. Most of the time we laughed at each other and other times it was the circumstances. I think we made enough memories to last a lifetime as we blitzed through Western Europe.
There was a synergy when the four of us were together. Tim had met Kurt once before and Mike and Kurt had never met. Still, you kind of knew that there would be something special when the four of us officially signed on to pack into a car and spend seven days together. I wouldn’t say we traveled through Europe as much as Europe traveled through us (Tim?). It was an amazing embrace as we went from city to city. Always conscious to sample the wares, we enjoyed the beer in Germany, the wine in Luxembourg, the muscles in Brussels, the cheese in Holland and so much more.
In order, we spent an afternoon or evening in: Cologne, the Middle Rhine Valley, Mainz, the Mosel Valley, Trier, Luxembourg, Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Volendam, Edam, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt. Beginning in a snowstorm, we ended the week basking in the sun as we laid in Brussel’s Grand Square or enjoyed an outdoor café in Amsterdam watching the people from every nation.
Internationally, America and Americans have taken a hit in reputation over the last few years. We were fortunate enough to change a few opinions and impressions and maybe cause our own little ripple effect. We changed two flat tires on the cars of strangers and spent time pacifying a drunken Swede. We also brought smiles to the faces of numerous people we met.
Considering the four of us were crowded into an Audi A4, various apartments and hotel rooms, we never tired of each other’s company. Our friendships were certainly solidified as we laughed at each other’s mishaps. I want to thank my great friends, Kurt (our navigator), Mike (our photographer) and Tim (our videographer). Their decision to come, not only proved their friendship physically, but they showed me more emotional support than they will ever know. A huge thanks goes out to their family members for sharing them with me. Big love!
Doug on 03.31.07 @ 10:33 AM PST [link]
Sunday, March 25th
Leaving Luxembourg – Keeping a Tradition
The building in the middle of the picture is an old leather factory, now converted to apartments. Our lunch host lives in one on a lower floor on the river.
We send out a huge thanks to our Luxembourg host, Mathew (Wazoo) Kahn for housing and putting up with four guys over two nights. He walked us through the lost and hidden alleys of the old areas of town and showed us some breathtaking sights.
Wazoo’s friend, Annaika treated us to a home cooked Sunday lunch. Coming from France, her mom was a professional cook. So she made sure that we got a chance to experience one of the most important weekly traditions in Europe. According to Wazoo, you cannot understand the culture of Europe unless you experience a Sunday lunch. Adding, “Everything else is everything else.” This tradition is a four-course meal that requires that family and friend gather and enjoy great food and conversation for several hours. Beginning with a fresh tomato, mozzarella, basil and oil and balsamic vinegar. Then we enjoyed a Beef Bourganone that was marinated in red wine for a day. Finishing with a cheese plate and a cake.
Sunday is for family and friends to gather and enjoy each other’s time. You don’t miss the chance to extend an invitation and you don’t miss the event.
Doug on 03.25.07 @ 11:31 PM PST [link]
Mingling with the Europeans
Yesterday, Mike and I were successful in picking up our friends Tim and Kurt at the Frankfurt Airport. From there we drove West along the Autobahn and through miles of farm land and then dense forests as we descended down into the Mosel River town of Zell. Here we headed South following the twists of the river and landed in the picturesque town of Bernkastel-Kues for lunch and a sampling of their famous wine. The Mosel Valley is best known for its wines. The steep hillsides of mineral rich rock are covered in vines. They use broken shale as mulch to keep what little soil there is from washing away. All harvesting is done by hand with large buckets on the backs of the grape pickers.
The end of the valley brought us into the town of Trier. This was the Northern capital of the Roman Empire. It has a beautiful town and ancient church. The Roman city gate (Porta Negra) still stands aat the end of the pedestrian district. It is here that we met up with our new friend Wazoo. A friend of Tim’s, he is an American who has raised a family here. He took us to his home in Luxembourg where we began our Saturday night of pub crawling. We worked our way down into the old part of town which is truly breathtaking. There are few cities in Europe as beautiful as this one.
Unfortunately for me, the clubs and bars are very crowded and completely smoke filled. Still, I had the opportunity to talk to a few locals. The city of Luxembourg is half Luxembourgians and half international expatriates from around the globe. Though most speak English, there are three official languages: French, German and Luxembourgish.
In the first bar, I met a Northern Swede who comes from above Stockholm, but has lived in other parts of Europe for some time. He was tall, blond and extremely drunk. Upon hearing where I was from, he did not hesitate to tell me how much he disliked America. Though he had never been, he felt that we had the attitude that we owned the world. He was very upset that we had invaded Iraq and didn’t hesitate to tell me, as his passionate gestures caused him to fall from his bar stool. once he made it back up, I asked him how he felt about his government and after telling me he hated it, I explained that there is a difference between a country’s government and its people. And that we have the good fortune of replacing our government every few years if they are not representative. So I pointed out that this past election we had changed the ruling party in the house and senate and that President Bush’s approval rating was below 40%. For the most part, we too were not happy with the war.
As expected, the world’s impression of us has been diminished and not only have we destroyed a country and destabilized a region, but we have a reputation to repair around the world. Intorducing yourself as an american, now opens the door to a conversation that is not always a pleasant one. But it gives an opportunity for Europeans to meet the people of our country and not just form an opinoin based on government action.
Doug on 03.25.07 @ 03:21 AM PST [link]
Friday, March 23rd
First Couple Days
Well, I made it to Germany for my 4th Dendritic Cell Treatment. Mike and I flew into Frankfurt on Thursday and made our way to Cologne through a snowstorm. By 8am this morning I was at the hospital getting my blood drawn. I mentioned the chronic pain I felt from my neck tumor and they asked me to stay and extra hour to lay under an ultraviolet heat source to try and damage the tumor. The heat breaks down the protein shell of a tumor leaving it vulnerable.
The rest of Friday was spent traveling down the Rhine River, visiting small little renaissance villages and several of the castles that crowd the river and hillsides. Finally, we ended our journey in the town of Mainz that sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers. This is the hometown of Gutenberg and houses his museum.
Tomorrow morning we head over to Frankfurt to pick up Tim and Kurt as they arrive for a week of travel. We head for the Mosel River and drift down to the Roman town of Trier before we head into Luxembourg.
Doug on 03.23.07 @ 04:17 PM PST [link]
Monday, March 19th
Vacations
I think there are four parts to a vacation. The first is the planning stage. I enjoy this part as I get to research and imagine myself in exotic and fun places. Since that usually happens months before the actual trip, there is a second part where you anticipate what’s to come. I think this piece is the most fun. You get to tell friends where you are going and whenever your life starts to drag a little, you can remind yourself that soon you will be on an adventure. The third part is the vacation itself. Unless it is a really extended trip, this always seems to go by too fast. You are so absorbed, you can’t believe it is over already. The final part is the aftermath where you come home relaxed and refreshed and you get to go through your photographs for years to come.
Travel sounds fun and exotic, but as I get ready for my fourth trip overseas in as many months, it can be a drag. This month’s trip, which begins Wednesday morning, will be an exception. Three of my closest friends have agreed to join me in what should prove to be an adventure to remember. Renting a car out of Frankfurt, Mike, Tim, Kurt and I will buzz through Western Europe in eight days. They are all great travelers and have covered much of North and South America. But this will be the first time any of them have been in Europe. It means a great deal that they are joining me, and also that I get to share Europe with them.
We will spend time in the Mosel Valley, known for its timber houses, castles and great wines. Besides visiting quaint villages and towns, we will also get to explore cities such as Luxembourg, Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Cologne. None of us are shy about exploring all of the local customs such as sampling the finest beers. And we also plan to get into some of the finest cathedrals and museums in the world.
The planning and anticipation has been exciting. Now it is time to travel. I plan to savor every minute and really enjoy a chance to spend true quality time with great friends. Stay tuned to this blog as I hope to post progress and photos.
Doug on 03.19.07 @ 09:08 AM PST [link]
Sunday, March 18th
Another Vaccine
I had never heard of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) until the drug company Merck started advertising their newly FDA approved vaccine, Gardasil. Once approval was given, Merck started an awareness campaign to scare us into believing that HPV is a viral epidemic. In the words of Margaret McGlynn, Merck's president for vaccines: "Each and every day that a female delays getting the vaccine there is a chance she is exposed to human papillomavirus." Funny that it was never a public concern before this.
Merck's campaign has been successful because in February, Rick Perry, governor of Texas, signed an executive order making vaccination with Gardasil mandatory for all 11 and 12-year old girls entering the Texas public schools. Now that I know about how drugs get approved and how this one has never been tested on young girls, I am concerned. I feel like adults who want to take Vioxx (quickly approved by the FDA and then pulled years later for killing people) are responsible enough to own that risk. But when we force a vaccine that has not been tried and trusted on young children, that is a different story.
I have not become this cynical because of my cancer and studies. Unfortunately, I have been wary of vaccines given to our children for close to 10 years. We are one of those families believing that childhood vaccines helped bring on autism in our daughter. Mercury based preservatives have since been banned, but back then managed to add levels of heavy metal into our babies around 100 times greater than “recommended.” When people my age were infants, we got 4 vaccines. Kids today receive close to 25 different drugs injected into their young developing systems.
We watched our beautiful little girl fall apart. I would hope that no other parent has to go through that for the benefit of the drug companies.
Doug on 03.18.07 @ 11:06 AM PST [link]
Friday, March 16th
Immune System Boosters
Digging deeper into my reading on natural cancer treatments, I am finding recommendations to take a supplement that helps increase the number of Natural Killer cells in the body and increase the effectiveness of the overall immune system. NK cells are one of our key immune system cells that are important in killing both tumors and virally infected cells. Unlike T and B cells that get activated by the Dendritic Cells, NK cells are “natural killers.” Cancer patients almost always have a depressed number of NK cells.
So it makes sense to me that I would benefit from an increase in NK cells and a boost in my immune system in this effort to naturally kill off the cancer. A couple of different products are recommended. The two I looked at were MGN-3 which was forced off the market by the FDA a few years ago but is back on. Developed at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles, MGN-3 is made from Rice Bran, enzymatically treated with polysaccharides from Shiitake, Kawaratake, and Surehrotake mushrooms. Since it is a food supplement and there are no side effects, the creator, Lane Labs, cannot advertise it as a cure for a disease (such as cancer). So the FDA filed suit in July 2004 and a New Jersey Federal Court ordered Lane Labs to stop selling products containing MGN3. A web search turns up a couple of new sources however.
I have chosen to take a similar product called RM-10 from Garden of Life, which sells lots of different natural health products. RM-10 is a combination of 10 tonic mushrooms and the Peruvian herb Cat’s claw. The ten mushrooms include types like Reishi, Maitakei and Shiitake. According to scientific research, these mushrooms:
- May have potent anti-tumor activity and inhibit the growth of existing tumors.
- May help lower cholesterol and can prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.
- May have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
- May protect against harmful effects of radiation.
- May have applications in treating viral diseases such as AIDS.
- May increase overall energy and enhance immune system function.
I have one more new supplement to share about – coming soon.
Doug on 03.16.07 @ 09:01 AM PST [
link]
Tuesday, March 13th
Graviola
You have heard the phrase, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” While on one of my walks through an old town in Europe, I realized that if I was not spending my time trying to find a way to kill my cancer and save my life, then I was wasting that time. My time on the Internet needs to be spent looking for cures. Everything I eat has to contribute to beating cancer. My thoughts, prayers and physical exercise need to be dedicated to breaking through. It requires a total focus on health 24/7.
As intense as that seems, it is becoming easier. I have a constant reminder in the form of chronic pain in my arms and neck. Overall, I am highly motivated to beat this thing but that ache motivates me on an hourly basis.
So recently I set out again scouring the web and reading a couple new books on alternative therapies. I now have read several and they all have a few common threads. The first is that there is a conspiracy driven by big money to make sure that cancer patients in the US only adhere to the big three – surgery, chemo and radiation. What the books refer to as, "cut, poison and burn." You can read case after case of doctors, clinics and vendors of successful alternative treatments being shutdown by the FDA. Soon I will have spent over $50K in alternative treatments that will never be reimbursed by insurance. Yet over that same time period, they were ready to pay four times that in chemo and radiation treatments.
The other thing I am reading is that there a over 150 different alternative treatments that have been successful in one way or another. They only work for about 40% of the people who try them so you need to keep searching for the right ones or the right combinations that produce results. Thus in my renewed effort, I have started taking Graviola. Like Acai, it comes from the South American Rainforests. The fruit and the leaves of graviola tree are used in traditional medicine for their tranquillizing and sedative properties. The supplement uses leaves and twigs of the tree. Technically it is a lipophilic inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I. What that means is that it depresses a cells energy use or ATP. The unique thing about cancer cells is that, unlike all other cells, they are considered anaerobic. This means that they stop breathing oxygen and start fermenting glucose (sugar) to make their energy. Anaerobic respiration is extremely inefficient requiring a cancer cell to burn 18 times more glucose molecules to produce one ATP molecule. That is kind of how a PET scan works, they inject you with sugar and then do a metabolic scan to see which cells are dancing a jig. So Graviola works at the cellular level to cut ATP production. Regular cells produce enough to handle this throttle down while cancer cells will eventually die from the effect.
In the 1970’s Dr. Jerry McLaughlin at Purdue University was funded by the National Cancer Institute to find a botanical substance that could kill cancer cells. He looked at over 3,500 species of plants and found Graviola and Paw Paw to have the most potential.
Doug on 03.13.07 @ 01:06 PM PST [link]
Sunday, March 11th
Getting To Know Stem Cells
At the clinic I attend in Germany, they also work with stem cells. While sitting in their waiting room and talking to their doctors I have learned a little bit more about them and thought I would share. They are certainly at the center of a lot of controversy and political fire, yet few know what they, how they might be collected and what their potential is for saving lives.
All of us have stem cells working in our body. They are found in our bone marrow and are the foundation cells that can grow and replace any cell in our body. Since we started as a single celled organism, those cells divided and eventually became the human body. So an undifferentiated stem cell can become anything. As we age and the wear and tear takes place, our own stem cells produce new muscles cells, heart cells, stomach cells, etc. The older we get, the more our bodies wear and the less stem cells we produce.
Stem cells introduced into the body have the potential to created new repaired tissue. There are trials going on now where donor cells are being injected into failing hearts and are creating new tissue to repair arteries and muscle. There has been success with blood-based cancers such as Leukemia where donor stem cells are injected and created healthy blood. Christopher Reeves campaigned for stem cells because they have the potential to re-grow damaged spinal column tissue. Michael J. Fox knows that they can be injected into the brain to cure Parkinson’s Disease. There is also hope for Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, and immune system dysfunction.
Stem cells are in great supply within an embryo (embryonic stem cells) and in a fetus (eight weeks after fertilization until birth). Naturally, this is where the controversy lies as people are uncomfortable with the prospect of harvesting cells from babies. However, there are some opportunities that may not be so controversial. For instance, in an artificial insemination clinic large numbers of eggs are fertilized yet only a few are used. Embryonic fluid contains a strong concentration. Also, scientists have found that the blood in the umbilical cord contains a great deal of stem cells. A 100ml sample can contain tens of millions of these undifferentiated stem cells. These can be collected soon after delivery with no disturbance to the mother or baby. They are then stored cryogenically for up to 20 years.
Exciting new work is being done in the area of harvesting, culturing and using our own stem cells to inject into needed areas of our bodies. Adult stem cells can be harvested from our bone marrow, blood, cornea, retina, brain, liver, stomach and pancreas. However, adult stem cells are rare and collection, usually through bone marrow does not always produce enough vibrant cells that can change into any tissue.
In the field of cancer, more research and time may someday allow us to be injected with cells that go after our tumors and knock them down. I am proud to be in a progressive state where our legislature and governor understand the potential of this type of work.
Doug on 03.11.07 @ 08:32 AM PST [link]
Thursday, March 8th
Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs like Ibuprofen, Motrin®, Advil® and Aleve® are considered to be Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) and are the most common over the counter drug in the US. NSAIDs have recently been shown to increase risks of heart attack and stroke, decrease bone healing, decrease tendon healing, and actually reduce the body’s absorption of nutrients. Other anti-inflammatory drugs like Vioxx® and now Celebrex®, have been pulled because of their danger. Ibuprofen, thought milder than most drugs, still strains the stomach and liver and is a concern since I am trying to get my immune system to go above and beyond.
Lately the pain in my shoulders and arms has been intense and constant. So I am seeking more natural anti-inflammatory remedies. I am not alone in my suffering as these drugs are used daily by people with arthritis pain, back injuries and sports or work related muscle pain. So doing a little research, here is what I found.
I have given up fast food because it seems that the more convenient the food, the worse it is for you. French fries were my drug of choice. Until I learned that they are full of the known carcinogen, Acrylamide. The EPA limits the amount in our drinking water to under 0.12 micrograms per serving. Did you know that McDonald’s large fries has 72 micrograms (600 times more)?
Junk foods contain fats and other ingredients that irritate inflammation. Also sugars and refined starchy carbohydrates like white flour can also aggravate inflammation. Some vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant contain the chemical Solanine which can make inflammation worse. Other culprits are dehydration (drink 60+ ounces a day and avoid caffeine and alcohol since they are diuretics), high fat, processed foods and red meat.
So anti-inflammatory foods look a lot like the ones I have recommended before. Essential Fatty Acids are turning up more and more as a must in your diet. I am back on the Falx Seed Oil and Cottage Cheese remedy as well as eating cold water oily fish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. For protein, stay with lean poultry and fish. If you have to eat red meat try bison, venison and other game. Eat lots of green leafy and bright colored vegetables and avoid sugar and starchy carbohydrates (a challenge). Berries like blueberries and strawberries help plus apples and red onions contain quercetin, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Some natural supplements to consider are: Boswellia (Taken orally to help reduce inflammation of joint tissue and treat arthritis.), Grape Seed (Works well for swollen ankles due to circulatory difficulties an blocks histamine associated with allergic reaction.) Devil’s Claw (Works well for arthritis pain.) Willow Bark (It includes the same component, salicylic acid, as aspirin. However, does not upset the stomach.)
Doug on 03.08.07 @ 10:08 AM PST [link]
Tuesday, March 6th
Why Cancer?
I never seem to get this one burning question out of my head. How did I get cancer? No one in my family has it. I am under 50 years old. I have been light to average weight my whole life. I exercise regularly. I was a college athlete and coached high school athletics for years teaching things such as proper diet. And I don’t believe I have been exposed to more than the normal amount of carcinogens. Still, every other man and every third woman in the US will get cancer. So the questions of why me and why now, seem to drive me to read and study in search of the answer.
Naturally, my answer is somewhere in understanding the nature of cancer? Basically, cancer is a temporary malfunction in our DNA. We have 75 trillion cells in our body and they get completely replaced every seven years. Another way to consider it is that 29 billion cells in our body get replaced every day. So cancer is a mutation in cell renewal. We actually produce a few thousand cancer cells each day. In cell division the DNA is copied and passed on to the new cell. The body has a system that keeps the cell duplication under control and checks the DNA for mistakes, trying to fix it. The immune system can also kick in and kill damaged cells.
So cancer results when the genes either don’t stop the runaway multiplication or the DNA check doesn’t function. And the immune system is overrun. Usually finding the highest stressed organ, a cancer tumor can be growing 5 to 15 years before it is detected. DNA is damaged by random mistakes or free radicals. The solution for prevention and recovery is to boost the immune system.
Doug on 03.06.07 @ 08:54 PM PST [link]
Saturday, March 3rd
Pharmaceutical Phrustrations
When I first heard the words, “You have cancer” I did like most people do and followed the doctor’s orders. There really wasn’t much time to think it over or ask too many questions. I was scared and figured these were the experts. I was in surgery the net day and full on chemo within a few weeks.
If you have been following my journey, you know that I am leaning more towards “alternative” approaches to fighting cancer. Since 1971 when we started the war on cancer the US alone has spent thousands of man-years and over 100 billion dollars of tax-payer money on research. As a result, we have surgery, radiation and chemotherapy as our only options and cancer deaths now (adjusted for age and population growth) are much higher and continue to climb.
The group that controls the cancer care system in this country is the large drug companies. Their astronomical profits allow them to yield complete power over congress and the FDA. Each year, a single chemotherapy drug can turn a profit for its company somewhere close to $750 million. One company like Bristol-Myers-Squibb holds patents on more than a dozen chemotherapy drugs. You do the math. And the cost of cancer drugs can be over 50% of the total cost for treating a patient. I was on one drug (of several) that cost my insurance company $5,000 each dose and I took that twice a month. Of the 1.5 trillion dollars Americans spent on health care in 2002, we spent more on prescription drugs than hospital care.
To help maintain the status quo, the drug companies lobbied (paid) congress to pass a law stating that no natural substance can be advertised as a cure for any condition – period. Thus, by law, vitamin C cannot cure scurvy. Drug companies spend almost $20 billion on TV and print adds for prescription drugs. This is far more than the auto industry, housing industry and retail. We are brainwashed into believing that we need to take a drug to cure an illness.
There are over 120 natural products out there that have been successful in helping people beat cancer. Unfortunately, it is illegal for doctors to recommend them and illegal for companies to sell them. The FDA has shut down thousands of both, with lawsuits and strong-arm tactics. The FDA, which used to be our consumer watchdog group, is now controlled by the drug companies. Over 50% of FDA executives go to work for pharmaceutical companies when they leave the FDA. And 20% of FDA employees working on drug approval are actually paid by drug companies. Thus we get drugs like Vioxx and numerous others that come to market, are dangerous, and take years to finally get pulled after public outrage.
So there is little promise for my condition in chemotherapy and I choose to seek other cures. Even if it takes me around the globe.
Doug on 03.03.07 @ 09:09 PM PST [link]
Thursday, March 1st
Results from Europe Trip #3
Originally the doctor said that it would take about four sessions before we knew if this treatment was going to be successful. So it looks like I will follow through with the recommended six treatments over six months (barring the strain on the family and bank account).
To review, the treatment requires a fourteen vial blood draw on the first morning I get there. They then send that blood to the lab where they isolate the monocytes within the blood. These immune system cells are then “educated” for one week to become Dendritic Cells. Discovered only a few decades ago and pertinent to HIV/AIDs, these are the commanders of your immune system army. They direct the T-Cells and others to fight a foreign substance. Cancer is so dangerous because, as foreign cells, the tumors are successful in hiding from your immune system.
So I got back into Cologne on Monday and on Tuesday evening went in for my injections. The syringes always have numbers on them representing the number of cells that were cultured and the % successful. This time my numbers were 47.4 million and 93%. On quizzing the doctor, he said that the average patient is between 5 and 20 million and that my number represented a very healthy blood making system. The bad news was that he needed to use a larger needle to push that concentration of cells into my shoulders.
So all and all, it was a good trip. A special thanks to Mary and Terry who were my chaperones while I was in London. Not only did they share their wealth of knowledge about the theater and the sites in London but they also looked after me. I am so grateful to them for making the trip extra fun and educational.
More photos are here. I played a little with Photoshop on some to make them a little more unique. Since all of these pictures have been taken millions of times before.
Doug on 03.01.07 @ 10:25 AM PST [link]
Past Posts
