"The researchers found that the T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate and they would remain dormant, ‘naïve' to the possibility of threat if vitamin D is lacking in the blood."

http://news.ku.dk/all_new...

Seniors who take a large daily dose of vitamin D may be significantly less likely to suffer from falls, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the British Medical Journal.

"Falls are important events to prevent," said researcher Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, "and 700 to 1000 IU of vitamin D per day is safe and inexpensive."

Overview

* Milk thistle is a plant whose fruit and seeds are used to make remedies for liver and bile duct ailments (see Question 1).

* The active ingredient found in milk thistle is silymarin, an antioxidant that protects against cell damage (see Question 1).

* Milk thistle has been studied in laboratory cell lines and animal tumors for its potential to make chemotherapy less toxic and more effective, and to slow the growth of cancer cells (see Question 3 and Question 5).

I don't normally talk about food or recipes but since the superbowl is two weeks away and since my wife makes a terrific quacamole dish, I thought I would post this article to the b-m.org site.

Omega-3 fatty acids, from fish like salmon and other sources, have for years been shown to help lower levels of heart disease and cardiac death.

New research suggests the fatty acids may possess an even more fundamental benefit: Heart patients with high omega-3 intake had relatively longer "telomeres," which are stretches of DNA whose length correlates with longevity.

Multiple myeloma is characterized by the accumulation of clonal malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow, which stimulates bone destruction by osteoclasts and reduces bone formation by osteoblasts. In turn, the changed bone microenvironment sustains survival of myeloma cells. Therefore, a challenge for treating multiple myeloma is discovering drugs targeting not only myeloma cells but also osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

I cannot read an article like the one linked below without thinking about the many articles and studies that I have read that support supplementation of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants,  DURING conventional chemotherapy like thalidomide and dexamethasone.

1) "In the process of treating multiple myeloma, patients often experience a weakening in their immune system which makes them more susceptible to infection. Serious infections can lower a patient’s quality of life, require doctors to reduce treatment to a less toxic but less effective level, and even cause death."

Multiple myeloma patients on various thalidomide (Thalomid) combination regimens may develop infections despite preventative drug measures, according to a data analysis performed by Italian researchers. The analysis also identified which factors increase a patient’s likelihood of experiencing severe infection. Researchers presented the results on December 6 at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans.

Welcome to mSMART: the risk adapted approach to management of multiple myeloma and related disorders

Guidelines for Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in Myeloma

•Measure baseline 25-hydroxy VitD3 levels in all patients with myeloma
•VitD deficiency is very common in elderly
•Patients on routine bisphosphonates need to maintain adequate VitD and Ca intake

Red wine has long been touted as a health elixir. Now wine's purported health-giving ingredient, resveratrol , is available in daily supplements, beverages and even a new nutritional bar claimed by sellers to help you live longer and help prevent cancer and other diseases. Until recently, the evidence for resveratrol has been animal data, but preliminary human testing has yielded intriguing results.

The link below is to a blog post from Margaret's Corner about the anti flu properties of curcumin supplementation.   There is a growing amount of research clearly indicating many health benefits of curcumin, fish oil and vitamin D supplementation well beyond anti-myeloma activity.  The list goes from anti-cancer action to anti-parkinsons and now to anti-flu.

David Emerson

http://margaret.healthblo...

There have been questions in the forum about how much of what supplements to take daily.  I came across this article about vit. D supplementation and thought I would excerpt it.

The article below quotes an onc from Rosewell in Buffalo as prescribing 50,000 iu a day for newly dx'ed  breast cancer patients who are deficient and then a daily regimen of 3,000 a day.

Doctors start to include vitamin D in fight against cancer

http://www.theglobeandmai...

David Emerson

Lori Puente emailed this article to me this am (thanks Lori) and I am posting it to the group- as the articles below discuss, curcumin has anti-cancer action, (anti myeloma, anti esophageal, anti head and neck) anti-plaque (parkinson's) and even anti-fat- please excuse my hyperbole- it is practically a wonder supplement.

Scientists say curry compound kills cancer cells - Yahoo! News

http://www.naturalnews.co...

http://www.newsdaily.com/...

David Emerson

I am posting this link to an article- this is a follow-up to a post by Marilyn about vit D3 and green tea supplementation.

http://www.naturalnews.co...

This is a typical article highlighting the virtues of vit D supplementation.  The article also talks up the benefits of curcumin.  Both may eliminate the plaque buildup in alzheimer's disease.

Forbes Magazine dated September 07, 2009

Most of the focus of a myeloma diagnosis is your "induction," "front-line," or first therapy.  Most of us focus on getting into remission.  The longer and fuller the remission, the better.

The longer I remain in complete remission the more I focus on staying in remission.  How or why do mm surivors maintain their remissions?

Here are some more reflections on the fascinating "Circadian Disruption and Cancer" conference that I attended at the New York Academy of Sciences a few weeks ago.

Cancer Decisions newsletter for 03/30/08 (Click Here to Access Audio)