Sunday, February 3, 2008

Regimen Correction

When I first posted my myeloma treatment regimen below (today), it included 1600 mg of LEF Super Bio-Curcumin. Since then, I've taken the LEF curcumin out of the mix. Here's why:
  • Another user of LEF Super Bio-Curcumin posted negative results on Beating-Myeloma.org.
  • My own results with the LEF curcumin were equivocal, at best, though I previously had positive results using only "regular" C3 Complex.
LEF Super Bio-Curcumin is reputed (by LEF) to have approximately seven times the bioavailability of regular curcumin. But does this come at a cost? Whatever is done to the curcumin to enhance its bioavailability, is it possible that the result is not as good for combating myeloma? Or worse, could it possibly even strengthen the myeloma somehow? Or, is it possible that there is an optimum concentration of curcumin in the blood, and that we both exceeded that?

Whatever, Sunshine points out that there are two negative responses with LEF Super Bio-Curcumin, and no positive responses that we know of (PLEASE correct me if you have more data). In contrast, there is abundant positive data for C3 Complex. There may be nothing at all wrong with LEF curcumin, but I am not in the mood to be a guinea pig, and for now I will discontinue the LEF and return entirely to C3 Complex. Today's earlier post is already corrected to reflect that change.
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8 comments:

  1. MargaretFebruary 4, 2008 at 2:30 AM

    Hi Don. This is very interesting. I read the same negative post re. super bio-curcumin. Certainly not very encouraging news, eh.
    Since I am testing Biocurcumax (the raw material comes directly from Arjuna in India, not from LEF) right now, I am even more curious to see my next set of blood test results. Next blood tests: at the end of this month.
    If I have positive results, you will be among the first to know!
    Take care,
    Margaret
    Florence, Italy

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2008 at 4:57 AM

    Hi Don!
    Good luck with the new regimen!!
    I would just like to let you that quercetin and resveratrol don't seem to go well together. As I and Margaret are thinking to experiment resveratrol in the near future, we decided to try the Biotivia one. If you go on their website http://www.biotivia.com/english/index.php
    you can find useful information on the problems of mixing resveratrol and quercetin (they actually post a univeristy scientific study on this).

    We don't have more information that this, however.
    Take care,
    Anna

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  3. DonFebruary 4, 2008 at 4:37 PM

    Hello Margaret and Anna,

    Well well. We learn things together.

    Quercetin: I did try to wade through the article that you referenced, Anna. Perhaps I missed something, but there are three interesting points:
    (1) The entire discussion is about an effect on SIRT1; I think Margaret's blog discusses other effects of quercetin which may be more relevant to myeloma,
    (2) The effect of quercetin on SIRT1 was only very slightly negative at worst, and
    (3)I saw no discussion about negative effects of quercetin in combination with resveratrol.

    PLEASE correct me if you read it differently; that stuff is pretty much Greek to me.

    Meantime, I'll keep taking both. Kitchen sink, don't ya know!

    Don

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2008 at 4:23 AM

    Good job Don!
    I have not read that article yet. Only seen it and decided to let you know.

    all the best,
    Anna

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  5. Paul KeeneFebruary 11, 2008 at 5:07 PM

    Hi Don,
    Just to let you know I had less than satisfactory results last time and I think it might have been due to the fact that I started taking vitamin D for the 1st time. My calcium levels were the highest they have been and near the upper limit. People have told me that there is a risk of hypercalcemia with vit D.
    I am trying DHEA for the next 3 months since that seems to be quite promising and is being trialled for MM at Mayo. I thought you had considered it too.
    I will be interested to see how you get on with feverfew but it will be difficult to separate any success from the other compounds you are taking.
    Good luck.
    Paul

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  6. Paul KeeneFebruary 11, 2008 at 5:35 PM

    I forgot to ask - did you get a result from the AGA test? Mine seems to have been -ve but I had been off gluten for about 4 months so maybe that affected it. I'm staying GF for the time being anyway.
    Paul

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  7. DonFebruary 11, 2008 at 5:37 PM

    Paul,

    Thanks for the warning, especially since my calcium has been a little high in the past. I did a little research and came up with this article on Mayo's web site. They discuss adverse effects from 100,000 iu daily, but nothing about the 5,000 iu that I take.

    Fortunately, I'll get test results fairly soon, so I can stop if there's trouble. I think I'll STOP both Vitamin D3 and calcium a few days before the tests.

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  8. DonFebruary 11, 2008 at 5:56 PM

    Paul,

    Thanks for reminding me - the celiac tests were all negative. The onc ordered up quite a panel of them, too. Like you, I wonder about the validity when there was no "gluten challenge" to stimulate a response.

    Gonna blog about those results ...

    ReplyDelete

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